A New Beginning, A Different Middle, and A Concluding End
by KRJ0792XX1
Summary: Multiple POV. Ginny is about to be left alone without any of her brothers at home, when a surprising young man comes into her life and changes everything. See how this new friendship evolves into something more, and the trials that the both of them must take in to live a great life together. Contains moments from all the years at Hogwarts, is AU, and has some character bashings.
1. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

**Disclaimer:** This story is 100% Alternate Universe and most, if not all, of the characters in this story, are out of character as well. Also, I don't own anything by J.K. Rowling and I am not trying to steal her characters, plots, or moments within the books that she has written. This is my own story and I also claim to not copy off of anyone else's work either in the process.

Please note that throughout this story, the characters will occasionally break the fourth wall. These sections will be represented in **bold** lettering.

 **Summary:** Multiple POV. Ginny is about to be left alone without any of her brothers at home, when a surprising young man comes into her life and changes everything. See how this new friendship evolves into something more, and the trials that the both of them must take in to live a great life together. Contains moments from all the years at Hogwarts, is AU, and has some character bashings.

 **Last Updated:** **4/20/18**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A New Beginning**

 _(Ginny P.O.V.)_

Ever since I was 6 years old I have been in love with the Boy-Who-Lived, or at least I thought I was. My Dad used to tell me stories every night before I went to sleep about his life and how special he was. I often headed to bed early just to hear more about his personal life, imagine who he was, and wonder whether or not I would meet him someday.

Harry James Potter was the only person alive who has survived the killing curse at the hands of You-Know-Who and lived to tell the tale. The night that evil man vanished, the entire Wizarding community was joyful that he was gone. None of that mattered to me at the time, but it was one of the reasons why everyone loved Harry Potter. Me personally? I just wanted to talk to him at some point in my life. Every night it would be a different story about Harry and all the adventures he has gone through. Slaying dragons, fighting off werewolves, saving people from a horde of vampires, made it all so enthralling to hear. How I wished I could be like him and go off on a fantastic adventure as well.

My Mum was more realistic on the views of that Harry Potter and why it was not such a great idea to be around him. She claimed that only dark wizards could ever survive a deadly curse because there was enough evil in their souls to block them from certain peril. I personally believed this was a load of hogwash.

How could someone who lost their parents at such a young age be filled with that much evil? There was no possible way that Harry could be a dark wizard. Even though I had never met him, I'm sure Harry Potter was a true hero in every sense of the word. Besides he was only one year old when he defeated You-Know-Who. Explain to me how a baby could have that much evil in their souls! I can't find a sensible reason. One day I would show my Mum that Harry is a good person, but I never could think of anything to prove it.

My family was split on the views of who Harry truly was. My Dad and I, of course, believed Harry was good, while my Mum, brother Percy, and brother Bill thought differently about him.

Percy was just too stuck up for his own good. He claimed that Harry Potter only survived on pure luck because You-Know-Who was a truly powerful, yet evil wizard, who only vanished because of accidental death. I simply refused to believe the nonsense that was coming out of my brother's head. To think that Harry lived because You-Know-Who screwed up the killing curse was laughable.

Bill liked to look at things logically, but thank Godric he's nowhere near as bad as Percy. Normally my older brother would agree with Mum, but not every single time. Bill thinks that only someone with dark powers could have lived against the brutality that came from "You-Know-Who". I wasn't completely upset with Bill because I had a feeling that he would eventually change his mind about Harry. For now, I simply shrugged off my concerns about my brother's ideals.

The twins were thankfully smart enough to realize that no one in the family has ever met Harry and therefore couldn't judge him just based off what was written in the Daily Prophet. They would prank him though if they ever got the chance and see if he was a good sport about it. It figures the only way those two jokers would see if someone was of "good character" was if they liked pranks or not.

Charlie didn't have time for the fabled hero as he was always so concerned with his dragons at the reserve in Romania. If Harry Potter was ever brought up in conversation at the house while he was there, Charlie would usually not comment and prefer to not speak his mind. That was fine with me though. I didn't want more of my family believing Harry was no good, but I have a feeling Charlie will see things my way. I have a lot of dirt on him.

The only one I could never really figure out was my other brother Ron. Where did his views on Harry Potter stand, and what kind of person did he think Harry was? Most of the time my brother felt jealous that Harry got all of this attention that "should" have been directed at him. I never understood until later on that my brother always felt insecure about himself and therefore always craved attention for what he thought was an accomplishment. It's understandable after all considering he's the youngest male Weasley, but he's not the youngest child in the family because that role was for me: little Ginny Weasley.

Godric I hate being the baby of the family. Every single member of my family never seems to let me forget that I'm the youngest, and I'm the only girl of the Weasley clan. I'm actually the first girl in the last seven generations, so I guess that makes me pretty special. So you'd think that since I'm so unique, I'd get more respect right? Wrong. I am absolutely frustrated by their overprotecting natures. I think my Mum is the worst because she constantly makes learn things that women should know. I have to learn how to cook things, sew, do chores, and a lot of other things. What about my brothers? They don't learn any of this shite!

 **Oh. Um. I'm sorry for swearing. Actually … No. I'm not. This is a load of shite! I don't think it's fair at all that I have to learn this just because I'm a girl. Well, I don't care what happens cause my Mum's teachings are just going to go out the window. If my brothers don't have to learn this, then neither do I. Also I'm not cooking for my future husband if I ever do get married. He can do that himself.**

 **Phew. I really needed to get that off my chest. I'll continue now.**

I guess I can't complain too much about my family members though. At least I have a family. There are some people out there who don't have anyone. My hero is one of them. I feel really bad about that actually.

When I turned eight my Mum's views on Harry Potter completely changed overnight. Every time the boy was mentioned, she would go on and on about how great he was and why we should all think of him as a good wizard. To think my Mum would ever start preaching Harry Potter as the purest boy alive was just unthinkable to me. There had to be some kind of reasoning behind it.

The family, of course, was flabbergasted because my Mum never changed her mind about anything in her life; when she put her mind to it, that was final. It's probably where I get my stubbornness from.

Before my Mum changed her views on Harry, I noticed that Professor Dumbledore would come to the house often and spend hours at a time with my parents while us kids played outside. I managed to hear bits of their conversations through one of the side walls of the house that had a hole into the kitchen. While their voices were almost always muffled, I could usually hear Harry Potter's name being mentioned. What could that mean? What does he have to do with my parents or Dumbledore for that matter?

I never could get much more from their conversations because my hiding spot was not the greatest for eavesdropping. Whenever I got frustrated by not finding out more, I would head out to the padlock shed and fly one of our brooms without my brothers noticing. Flying always seemed to clear my head and I was getting really good at it too. I've been flying ever since I was five years old and can easily outmaneuver any of my dimwitted siblings except for Charlie of course.

Charlie was the seeker at Hogwarts for the Gryffindor team for a few years and was even offered the chance to play pro-Quidditch. He reluctantly turned it down claiming that dragons will always be his true passion in life. I honestly wish I was there when he turned those scouts down so that I could slap him upside the head. Who honestly turns down professional Quidditch? That's my life's dream! Maybe someday I will be able to play for the Hollyhead Harpies: the only all-female Quidditch team. They're amazing players and none of them take any kind of crap from any of the other teams.

Two years later, Ron was finally given his letter to Hogwarts. This, unfortunately, would mean that I would be by myself with Mum and Dad for the entire year. Even though I was happy for Ron getting his letter, I was also extremely sad that he would be leaving. Since my other brothers were either out of school or still in school, Ron and I relied on each other for support. He was … is … my best friend. I knew as soon as he left I would miss him dearly. The night before we took him to the Hogwarts Express, I cried my eyes out.

The next morning was the same as every year in the Weasley household: chaotic. Every year on September the 1st, my family would always be behind schedule and forget something or would misplace items needed for Hogwarts. It also didn't help that Ron refused to pack anything until the very last minute and more than likely forgot a lot of clothes. Next year I would be part of that chaos, but pack my things at least the night before. I chuckled at that thought and began getting ready to leave. Today I would be saying goodbye to my four brothers: Percy, Fred, George, and now Ron.

After flooing to King's Cross with ten minutes to spare, we finally all made it to the platform. I thought I would always remember this day because of all my brothers leaving me for the first time, but something completely unexpected happened instead. Whenever I'm feeling upset, I think back to this day and smile because this was the day I met a very special boy who changed my life.

I remember Mum was panicking and rushing us all towards the hidden wall that led to Platform 9 and 3/4. As Percy stepped through the barrier, I saw a small boy with piercing green eyes looking at us with a shocked expression. He was somewhat scrawny, had black hair, oversized clothes, and glasses that were in need of repair, but something about him seemed out of place to me.

As Fred and George ran through the barrier at breakneck speed, I noticed the boy was still not believing what was happening. Is he a muggle? No, he can't be. I remember my parents telling us that only witches and wizards can see people going through Platform 9 and 3/4. So why was he so scared? I noticed that Mum was about to get Ron ready when the small boy asked for help in order to get on the platform. So he's a first year too? He was nervous to approach us as if he did something wrong by watching.

"Oh not to worry dear. Everyone gets nervous when trying to get on to the platform. It's Ron's first time to Hogwarts as well!" Mum said while pointing towards her youngest son. Mum then explained to the boy that all you have to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10. I could tell he was nervous about walking into a wall, so Mum let Ron go ahead. Since Ron was used to this by now, he took off at full speed to the wall and was gone in a second. After watching, the poor boy was still nervous about going through, so I offered to go along with him.

"Hey. Don't be scared. It's perfectly normal to feel this way." I said while taking hold of his right hand. The boy instantly seemed at peace and nodded his head. I thought his parents would have told him about this procedure, but he didn't seem to have anyone with him. I wonder what happened to his guardians? Did they assume he would just figure it out? It's not right for someone this young and inexperienced with magic to go at it alone. So I did the only thing that seemed right.

"Do you want to go with me?" I asked the boy. His only response was to nod. While still holding his hand, the two of us started running at the wall between the two platforms. Just before we hit the wall I noticed the boy had shut his eyes. I silently chuckled to myself as we went through the barrier. Seeing him wince made him incredibly cute in my eyes. It also helps that he was already cute to begin with.

 **Ok, Ginny, that's enough of that. Get a grip and focus now.**

Once we were through, the boy took into his surroundings of amazement.

"I love magic!" He exclaimed.

I'm guessing he's a muggle-born because seeing the hidden station is not as surprising to me or my family anymore. Not that I have a problem with him being a possible muggle-born. I like all people unless they're my brothers because they can get quite annoying.

The boy turned to me and gave me a sudden surprising hug. I only did what I thought was right. I didn't think he would be this grateful to be honest. Despite those feelings, I realized that I've never received a hug from a boy before. It felt quite nice. My brothers don't count. I never consider them when it comes to boys.

After letting go of him, I blushed a serious shade of Weasley red that did not seem to let up. The boy thought this was funny and so I decided to playfully smack him in the arm.

"What was that for?" the boy asked while still laughing.

"For being a prat." I said while winking at him and started laughing again.

"What's your name?" the boy asked. "I've never had a friend before and I would love for you to be my first friend."

I was really surprised. How could he not have any friends? He seemed nice enough, and I already mentioned the cute thing, so what was it about him that people didn't like? Well, I guess I can't judge him too harshly considering my brothers are my closest friends. I'm only ten after all. Realizing that I was thinking too hard about this, and was keeping him on his toes at the same time, I decided to answer him back.

"My full name is Ginevra Molly Weasley, but please don't call me that. I hate my full name and usually hex anyone that says it. Please just call me Ginny." I said whilst extending my hand.

The boy smirked and shook my hand rather firmly.

"My name is Harry James Potter. I don't mind you calling me Harry, but please don't use my full name either. It just reminds me of my parents." said a quickly sad looking Harry.

To say I was shocked was an understatement. My eyes bulged out of my head and I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating for a few minutes. I couldn't believe I had just met Harry FREAKING Potter! Oh my Godric I can't believe it! The savior of the Wizarding World, conqueror of the Dark Lord, and survivor of the killing curse is standing right in front of me! Wow! I am so starstruck right now!

"Ginny are you okay? Why aren't you saying anything?" asked a very confused Harry Potter.

I couldn't speak because I was just so enamored to meet him. In spite of this moment, I realized that I was also disappointed in myself. I was looking forward to this moment for so long and it didn't go anywhere near what I had planned. In my dreams, I was older and happened to have met him after he defeated some dark wizards. He would spot me in the crowds of those who were watching, and come forward to me to introduce himself. I would be wearing a really nice dress and make my appearance stand out. But now all of that is ruined! He met me too early for my dreams to become a reality.

"Ginny? Is something wrong?" Harry asked once again. I could see he was becoming a lot more concerned about what was happening to me.

I think he was genuinely scared of what was happening, but I couldn't speak! What in the world could I have possibly said to him at that moment? I was just too nervous to move or comprehend anything! It wouldn't matter if a heard of hippogriffs were stampeding in the background, because nothing would tear me away from this moment. All I could do was focus on him and stare blankly with my mouth open.

"Ginny don't be nervous around me. I'm still trying to get used to this myself because I've never been around any witches or wizards before. Can you just go back to thinking I'm just "Harry" instead of "Harry Potter"?" Harry asked with hope.

Using Harry's advice, I quickly regained my composure. Thankfully my voice returned and my blush was not as obvious.

"Yes. I'm fine Harry. I should have recognized you a little from what people have reported in the papers, but considering I've always wanted to meet you, I was speechless for a moment." I said.

"Why did you want to meet me? I'm just Harry." Harry asked.

"Are you kidding? Harry, you're the most famous wizard ever! You've been on so many adventures and done so many great things in your life! Why wouldn't I want to meet you?" I said with some exclamation.

"I've never been on any adventures, Ginny. Also, I didn't even know I was a wizard until about a week ago. Whatever stories you've heard about me are probably not true. I'm sorry to disappoint you." Harry said. I could tell he was not trying to hurt my feelings when he said this to me.

I guess I should have expected this. Harry isn't that much older than me, and to do the things I've heard of was somewhat unbelievable. I guess I just held on to those stories because he seemed like an amazing person who could do anything. The only thing that was true was the defeat of You-Know-Who all those years ago, but I don't care. I met my hero today, and I'm not going to let anything spoil that.

"That's fine, Harry. I should have known a lot of those adventures were not true anyway since you're only eleven. But still, I'm really glad I met you." I honestly said.

Harry seemed a bit more relaxed after I said that.

"Can I see the scar?" I asked.

He lifted up part of his fringe to reveal the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. I gasped slightly at seeing it but turned my attention back to what Harry was saying.

"Yeah, I still don't quite understand all of this. Being a wizard is weird to me because I was never told about my heritage or parents while growing up. It's rather strange to adapt to all of this since I've been in the ... what's it called? ... "Muggle World" for so long." said an unsure Harry.

I nodded and laughed a bit at his insecurity.

"Well don't worry, Harry. I'm sure I can tell you anything you want to know. If you have any questions, I am here to assist you. I mean. If that's ok? Not that it wouldn't be ok, but, still."

 _"Why am I acting this way? I'm never like this around anyone! When I'm with Harry though, I just can't help it. Maybe it's just because I've met the hero of my dreams and he's right in front of me. Yeah, that's probably it. I've got to stop being so anxious around him or I'll probably scare him away."_ I thought.

Harry didn't seem freaked about by my response and instead laughed a little. He told me again to just calm down and only see him as just Harry again. This is going to take some time to get used to. Thankfully my family was not around here to see me acting strangely. My Mum and brothers were all heading towards the train and I suppose they forgot about me momentarily. This was completely fine with me because it meant I got to spend more time with Harry.

"Hey, Ginny are you going to Hogwarts too? I want to hang out with my new friend some more. Maybe you can teach me all about this strange new world to me?" Harry asked.

 _"He wants me to teach him? Me? Plain Ginny Weasley?! I'm in heaven right? Yes, this is definitely heaven! Oh no, I'm not going to Hogwarts this year so what should I say? I don't want to lose him as a potential friend, but I don't know what to say to him! I guess the only thing to do is to admit the truth."_ I thought.

"I'm sorry but I'm not old enough to go to Hogwarts yet Harry. To go to Hogwarts, you have to be eleven years old, and I'm only ten." I said with a downcast look.

Harry's face frowned and the saddening look he was giving me was tearing me up inside. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I had no choice to tell him the truth. Fortunately, things seemed to work out.

"Can I write to you?" Harry asked. "I know we just met but I was serious about you being my first friend and I don't want to go without being able to talk to you. I was hoping by writing it wouldn't be as bad and I can send letters as often as I can. Plus, I have a lot of questions on what being a wizard is like. "

I swear I smiled so big that my face hurt.

"Yes! Yes, you may write to me!" I nearly shouted with joy.

Just then the sound of the train's whistle started to wail. The sudden noise caught both of our attention and we realized our time was running out. He looked at the train and stared at it for a moment with such despair. I wish I could have gotten more time with Harry because he seemed so nice and friendly. Plus if he wanted to be friends with me I was not going to deny his request. Harry looked back at me again and his face lit up once more.

"I guess I have to go now. I'm glad we're friends though." said Harry. He then gave me a hug that I quickly returned to him.

"I'll miss you, Ginny." Harry whispered to me.

"I'll miss you too, Harry." I stated while whispering in his ear.

I reluctantly had to let go of him. He had to go to Hogwarts, and I couldn't do anything to stop him. Harry turned away and began heading towards the train, but I followed behind to make it seem like I was with my family the entire time. As someone from the luggage compartment came and took Harry's things, I saw him get on the train and wave goodbye to me. I waved back with another huge smile on my face. Unfortunately, he turned and headed into a compartment that was out of my sight range.

Right near me, I could hear my Mum shouting at the twins. She told them to behave this year and not get into trouble. Yeah right! That's like asking Percy to stop following the rules and lose some points for Gryffindor. I do hope that Ron writes back to me though, but I was not as concerned about him leaving anymore. That spot was reserved for someone else I had just met.

The train started pulling away and my brothers were waving goodbye. I still don't think they knew I wasn't there to say goodbye. What a bunch of blockheads. I turned my head and noticed that Harry poked his head out of one of the windows. His eyes found mine and began waving at me again. I couldn't help but wave back at him, but this time my eyes were misting a little. I know I just met him, but I'm really going to miss Harry. I can only hope that he writes me back because I really wanted to get to know him too.

"Don't worry, Ginny. I am sure your brothers will return for Christmas. It's only a few months away." said Mum. She came up behind me and pulled me into a hug.

Thankfully, Mum didn't notice that I was with Harry the entire time. She was more concerned about Ron going off to his first year of school. Oh well. My brothers would have made fun of me anyways if I had gone over. I decided to play along for now and not let her know I met Harry instead.

"I know. It's just going to be hard now that Ron is gone. I'll miss them a lot." I said.

 **It wasn't a complete lie. I really was going to miss them.**

"Try not to fret over it, dear. This year will go by in a flash and then you'll be off to Hogwarts as well! Now let's go home. Your Father will be off work soon, and we can do whatever you like today. Okay?" Mum said.

That sounded nice to me. I'm glad that Dad had some time off today because I never really get to see him with his long hours at the ministry. I nodded to Mum and then the two of us went back to the burrow via portkey.

* * *

 **A/N: For those who realized, or didn't because you're new here, I changed the title of this story. Originally it was called "The New Beginning" but I decided to change it because it's not just about the beginning anymore. Now it has a new title and this is what it will be called from now on.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Letters

**Disclaimer:** This story is 100% Alternate Universe and most, if not all, of the characters in this story are out of character as well. Also I don't own anything by J.K. Rowling and I am not trying to steal her characters, plots, or moments within the books that she has written. This is my own story and I also claim to not copy off of anyone else's work either in the process.

Please note that throughout this story, the characters will occasionally break the fourth wall. These sections will be represented in **bold** lettering.

 **What Happened Previously:** Ginny tells us about her life in the burrow, and her family's views on Harry Potter. While taking her brother Ron to Platform 9 and 3/4 she meets her hero and they quickly become friends. Before leaving, Harry promises to write to Ginny.

 **Last Updated:** **3/1/18**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Letters**

 _ **(Ginny P.O.V.)**_

 _"He's not going to write to me. Is he?"_ I thought as I stared out the window in my bedroom.

The rain was falling down heavily and I was stuck in my room wondering when I would receive any post. Not that I would receive any mail anyways because I don't have many friends. Its been a week since I had heard from either my so called brother Ronald Weasley, or Harry BLOODY Potter.

 **Yes I said BLOODY, and in all capital letters. I'm quite mad at him right now.**

I just don't understand. Why wouldn't he write to me? I thought he was genuine about me being his first friend because he seemed so sad and alone. Did he even feel that way at all? Maybe his plan was to just get some sympathy for no one being there for him all along. Why even bother with me then? He could have just said I was annoying and go off to be the best of pals with my idiot brother Ron. Whatever. There's no doubt in my mind that he's forgotten all about me. I guess I should have seen this coming. Since Harry is the Boy-Who-Lived, it seems the instant fame got to his head. I guess he is not as genuine as he appears.

I gave Harry a few days to adjust to being at a wizard school. I thought that maybe after getting to know the castle, and learning some amazingly cool things, that he would send a letter to me. That way I would receive it by the next few days after. Well guess what? It never arrived. As of today, its since I had met Harry, and I was becoming increasingly agitated with each passing second. Flying was not even helping by this point and that never happens.

During this time I became reserved and somewhat cold towards my parents. I know it wasn't their fault, but I didn't want them to smother me either. Mum was going spare because she could not figure out why I was so upset. I don't like that kind of therapy. I'm not going to open up to someone if they consistently ask what's wrong. If they allow me the time to process what happened, and not ask me as much, then I would eventually reveal what was bothering me. Mum never seems to understand this.

Yesterday Mum decided that trying to get me to talk to her was a waste of time. So she tried a new tactic: Dad. It was after dinner last night when he came to talk to me, and I had to admit I was nervous about telling him why I was upset.

* * *

 _"Sweetheart? Do you have time to talk?"_

 _"Go away, Daddy! I just want to be left alone."_

 _"I can't just sit idly by, Ginny. Your mother and I are worried about you, and we don't want to see you this way. I'm sure you'll feel better when you admit what's bothering you. It's always been helpful for me, and for your brothers. Would you like to talk about it?"_

 _My first reaction was to keep fighting him, but it was no use. I really tried to remain calm when answering my father, but I found tears coming into my eyes. I started bawling uncontrollably and dad took me into his arms to hold me._

 _"Shh Ginny it's okay. This is obviously something really important, sweetheart. What troubles you? Please tell us so we can help you." my father asked._

 _I didn't answer until I stopped crying. This is ridiculous. I shouldn't be hurt over Harry not writing me a letter. But for some reason I was._

 _"Okay. Last week I made a new friend at the train station when we dropped off Ron, Percy, and the Twins."_

 _"What's your friend's name?"_

 _I didn't know what to say. Should I tell my parents about meeting Harry Potter? No. They'd never believe me. I had to lie about who I met._

 _"His name is James. He was really nice, Daddy. He said … He said he would write to me and it's been almost a week! I really like him dad. Why wouldn't he write to me? I don't understand." I said whilst trying not to cry again._

 _I just chose to use Harry's middle name so that my parents might not be able to connect the dots. Maybe I should have used a different name altogether? Well it's too late to go back now._

 _"James is eleven and is going to Hogwarts for the first time. I think he was a muggle-born because he had never seen the hidden platform before." I said._

 _"Were his parents there? Did they hear him say he'd write back to you?"_

 _"No. James was by himself."_

 _"What did he look like, Ginny?"_

 _"I think he had some taped up glasses and wore some baggy clothing. He did have black hair and green eyes."_

 _I think my father was starting to understand who James really was based on the questions he was asking me. Thankfully he didn't press further about his real name._

 _"Did he say when he would write back?" Dad asked._

 _"Well ... no. But he seemed like he really wanted to! He told me I was his first friend ever!" I wailed._

 _"Well that's pretty special, Ginny. If you are his first friend ever, then I would suggest you send a letter out to him instead."_

 _"But he said he would write!"_

 _I think my dad was trying to explain this to me as best as he could, but it wasn't working._

 _"Okay, Ginny. Here's what I would do. First, I would just try to remain calm about James writing you back. He must be trying to adjust to school, and meet friends that are at Hogwarts." my father exclaimed._

 _I wasn't exactly happy about this first suggestion but decided to continue listening anyways._

 _"Secondly, I would actually write a letter out to James since he has not been able to write you back yet. Now please don't be mad at him sweetie. Give him a chance to adjust to school before getting mad. Okay?" my Dad asked in a hopeful way._

 _I didn't like this answer either. Harry needed to be reminded that a promise is a promise, and I don't take them lightly. I acknowledged my father with a fake smile and a nod._

 _"And lastly, since you said he was possibly a muggle-born, this transition may be incredibly hard on him. He's away from his family and may be a little upset because of that. If I were him, I would be really shy and confused about everything. I'm sure your friend is worried about trying to fit in and make new friends in his house."_

 _I hadn't really thought of it that way. It may actually be hard for Harry to make genuine friends, considering he is famous and all I feel really bad for being mad at him. Perhaps my father is right. I guess I can wait a little bit longer for a reply from Harry, but I'm not going to send a letter out to him. If he really does want to be my friend, then I want him to make the first move. Nevermind. I'll probably write a letter tonight and send it out tomorrow._

 _"Thanks for the advice, Daddy. I'll start working on that letter." I said._

 _"That's my girl. Do you feel better now?"_

 _I nodded my head._ _Dad took me in for a short hug and then left me alone to start writing._ _I reached for some parchment and a quill at my desk and started writing out my letter to Harry._

* * *

 _Dear Harry,_

 _How are you? I haven't heard anything from you in a week and I wanted to reach out and say hi._

 _So ... hi_

* * *

 _No. This will never do. I crumpled up the badly written letter and threw it away. I reached for another piece of parchment and started writing. Since I was agitated from the failed first attempt, I suppose it reflected in my writing this time around._

* * *

 _Dear "Boy-Who-Lived",_

 _I thought you said you were going to write to me, but it's been over a week now and I haven't heard anything._

 _I guess you have forgotten all about me, but I guess I should have expected it since you're famous and all and I'm just some annoying little girl._

* * *

 _No! This isn't fair to him. I promised Dad I would be nice to Harry, I mean "James", and this is not the right thing to do. He may actually even need a friend right now. Although I still don't understand what kind of family would just leave him alone at the station with no help at all, he might miss his family a little bit too. They really must be muggles if they thought it was fine to just leave him there at the platform by himself. I will have to ask Harry about that. Maybe they're not so nice after all._ _After throwing the second note away, I shook these thoughts from my head and found myself another piece of parchment. Ok the third time is the charm. Hopefully._

* * *

 _Dear Harry Potter,_

 _You're really cute._

 _I've read so many stories about you, and I've wanted to meet you since I was six years old._

 _I think about you all the time._

* * *

 _Arrrgggghh! NO NO NO! Why is it so hard to write to him? It's either too forward, too mean, or too awkward! It's never like this with anyone else! I_ _decided to go to bed instead. There was no way I could write to him like this. Sleeping would also give me time to think about what I would say in the letter. Hopefully Harry would just send me a letter first so I won't end up embarrassing myself._ _With tired eyes, I went over to my bed and sleep claimed me._

* * *

And now we're caught up to the present. Today was much of the same as the others: wait around for a letter from Harry or Ron, read, fly a little, and then go crazy from boredom. That's it. I've had enough boredom for one day. I need to go flying again and enjoy myself. If I just think about getting letters all the time, it would make me go mad from the anticipation. So what if the weather was bad today? I don't care if it's raining! I also realized I need more parchment since I destroyed all the pieces in my room yesterday. Thankfully the waste basket in my room burns up any trash that goes into it. There would be no chance of my family finding out about these horrid attempts at a letter to my new friend.

I grabbed my jumper and put it on immediately. Knowing that the wind and rain would make me freezing on my broom, I had to be the warmest I could be. I started heading down the stairs from my room when I stopped abruptly after realizing my parents were arguing and they were not alone. Someone else was with them, but who? I headed back up the stairs a little bit more and poked my head out from the top of the banister. I cleared my thoughts and listened carefully to what was being discussed.

"But Mollywobbles you knew what would happen when we signed the contract! There's no way we can go back on it now! If we do there will be terrible consequences!"

That voice sounded like Dad. The next voice was indeed Mum because she was shrieking.

"I DON'T CARE ARTHUR! I want it reversed! My daughter cannot be involved with this bloody contract! I forbid it! Get her out of this now, Albus!"

 _"Wait. I'm involved somehow? My parents signed a contract that included me in it, and they didn't bother to tell me about it? I'm really confused. What is this all about?"_ I thought.

"I simply can't do that, Molly. You know what will happen if we try to annul the contract before your daughter comes of age. By breaking the terms of the agreement, she will never be able to have children of her own. If she really does want to have them some day, it will never be possible. And that's not even considering the other problem that comes with breaking any magical agreement. I please urge you to reconsider your daughter's future!"

 _Ok that voice was definitely from Professor Dumbledore. I recognized that voice from years of him being over here and spending time with my parents. Also what in the world is going on here? I can't ever have kids if this contract is annulled? What's this contract all about? I have so many questions it is making my head spin._

"Please listen to us! Do not annul this contract. I will not stand by and let you break it!"

 _That was my father again. I'm glad he's sticking up for me. I only wish I knew why I wouldn't be able to have kids if this contract was annulled. Also what's the other thing? What could be worse than not being able to have kids? Also Dad's right. I absolutely do not want any right now._

Just then Mum yelled so loud that it broke my train of thought.

"BUT HE'S IN SLYTHERIN! Every witch or wizard that ends up there goes bad. Every. Single. One! I can't have that for Ginny! What kind of person is this boy anyways? I'm glad Ron told us all about this little fiasco in his letter!" said Mum.

 _"Hold on a minute. Who's in Slytherin, and what's this talk of a boy that may be bad? Did my parents make a marriage contract or something? Also what letter from Ron are they talking about? I saw no such thing! I would know since I've been anxiously waiting for the post to arrive."_ I thought nervously.

"Can you please re-sort him into another house Albus? There must be a way to do so!" Mum asked.

"Unfortunately no. Once the sorting hat chooses to place a student in a particular house, it is considered to be magically binding and cannot be undone. Even with my vast sorcery, I cannot undo the magic from the sorting hat because it was created by the founders of Hogwarts. If it makes any difference on either one of you, the boy did not want to be placed in Slytherin. He was adamant about not being in that house. So, by logical standards, he can't be all deemed as a bad wizard if he doesn't wish to reside in Slytherin." Dumbledore cautiously stated.

"No it doesn't make me feel better, Albus. I don't want to be associated with someone who's in that house of murderers! What matters is that he's not someone I want our daughter associating with! It's extremely likely that he will turn dark when he gets older and maybe even succeed "You-Know-Who"." Mum stated.

 _"Who could possibly turn that dark? Well I guess with "You-Know-Who" anything is possible. Wait. Mum said that he may even become a more darker wizard than "You-Know-Who". Who in the world is this person? Oh no! If I am stuck with some Slytherin kid I won't get a chance with Harry Potter! Why did my parents do this to me? They've always known I wanted to marry him ever since I heard about him from when I was six! Plus I've just met him and he seemed so sweet and innocent!"_

I didn't even bother trying to listen in to the rest of the conversation that was taking place. I quickly ran into my bedroom while being as quiet as I possibly could and shut my door. I threw myself on the bed and began sobbing my eyes out uncontrollably.

 _"Harry. I know I don't know you that well, but I felt something when we met only a week ago at the train station. You were so nice and kind to me. You made me feel important and special in so many ways. Even if we only remain friends, I'll always regret not being able to explore something more."_ I thought.

I continued to cry into my pillow as the thoughts of not being with Harry drifted away from my head for what seemed like an hour. I wanted nothing more than to just stay in my room for the rest of my life, but the question on who I was apparently promised to was still burning in my mind. Seeing as there was only one clear option, I made my way to the door, opened it, and silently made my way back down the stairs. From what I was hearing, it sounded like the conversation was just going around again full circle with mum being against it, Dumbledore trying to make her see reason, and my father not sure on how to handle this when they clearly messed up in the first place. I didn't hear anything else useful from the conversation the adults were having for the rest of the night. That is of course until Dumbledore left and I heard something rather shocking from both of my parents.

"Molly, we have to tell Ginny. This was incredibly selfish of us. I'm still shocked that Dumbledore convinced us to go through with this! I can only hope that she will forgive us in time." my Dad said.

 _"So this is Dumbledore's fault, huh? I'll make sure I get even with him someday."_ I thought.

"She'll forgive us. Maybe not right away, but she will in time." Mum stated.

"Are you sure about that? Ginny does hold grudges, and who knows how long she'll resent us over this!"

"She will forgive us, Arthur. We are her parents, and what we say goes."

"Fine. But what about the letters? It's obvious that he's been trying to talk to her, because I recognize his owl. We can't hide any letters for her forever! I nearly told her earlier today! She needs to know what's going on." Dad said.

"We can and will hide them from her! Even though Dumbledore has been able to intercept his mail for us to read, I think the boy will eventually figure out what is going on and demand to see Ginny in person. We need to prevent this from happening as much as possible Arthur. Hopefully she will never find out about this, and fall in love with someone else, thus breaking the contract. It's the only loophole we were able to discover!"

"That is not going to happen, Molly. The contract intensifies the feelings that the two have for one another! It will be impossible for Ginny to fall in love with someone else! You know there is only one thing we can do. When Ginny is older, we will tell her together, and then hopefully she can understand what we did was for the best." Dad said.

Both of my parents headed off to sleep after that.

 _"What in the world are they talking about? So this boy I don't know is trying to get in touch with me, and possibly even wanting to meet me in person? If this boy is really in Slytherin I don't really think meeting him would be a great idea. I don't want to end up married to a possible "You-Know-Who" worshiper. Maybe I can find those letters mum and dad were talking about so that way I can maybe see the name of the person who I am contractually obliged to fall in love with."_ I thought.

I waited about 15 more minutes before heading down the stairs to search for these letters. I had a lot of doubts about doing this in the first place because it would tell me who this person was, but at the same time I had to know. The thought of knowing, and then being disappointed, sent shivers down my spine in the worst way possible. There was only one person I would ever consider being married to, and this Slytherin bloke will never have my heart.

I started looking in the most obvious place where mum would hide things from us: the downstairs closet. More often than not I would find my birthday presents and Christmas presents from my parents in there, and it seemed like a great place to start looking. When I opened the door, the closet appeared to be spotless. There were no boxes in the closet and the only things that were inside were old jackets and shoes that no one wore anymore. The only thing I could rely on now was getting one of my parent's wands and use a Four Point spell to lead me towards the location of those letters.

I made my way back to the kitchen in search of a wand. I checked the entire kitchen from top to bottom as quietly as possible, but did not find what I was searching for. Finally I decided to take a break to collect my thoughts and sat down at the family table in the dining room. After pondering for several minutes thinking about where else I could find a wand without going into my parent's room, I started giving up on that possibility and went back to my list of places the letters could be hidden.

I remember the twins mentioned once that they found some of their birthday gifts hidden in the chimney of the fireplace. Because they were looking in every single location they could think of in the house for their presents, the chimney seemed like an obvious answer in their twisted minds. Fortunately their hair brained logic paid off that time because their gifts were actually inside. I started making my way over to the fireplace when I noticed something on the mantle that made me want to smack my forehead. My grandmother's wand was sitting on top of the mantle and it was unfortunately going to be mine one day since new wands are quite expensive. Why didn't I remember this before since it's mostly mine now anyways? I shrugged off my own stupidity and grabbed my grandmother's wand. Thankfully I've seen my parents do the Four Point spell many times, so casting it wouldn't be a problem. I raised the wand and spoke the incantation.

" _Point me"_ I whispered.

Instantly the wand produced a light blue streak and went towards the direction of the lounge. I started following the streak and noticed that it was making me stop right before the lounge and I found myself standing in the middle of the hallway. I took in my surroundings and was confused. There wasn't any furniture, containers, or boxes that the letters could be hidden in so why would the spell stop here? I was about to give up and call it a night when I noticed that I was standing on an old family rug. Maybe the spell was indicating that the letters were under the rug?

I carefully removed the old rug and noticed there was a missing floorboard underneath. Hooray for me! Oh please let the letters be inside! I looked in the floorboards and found the items I had been looking for: a few letters addressed to me, and one that was from Ron (I'd recognize that messy scrawl anywhere). There was no way I was going to simply take these and return them later. I'd probably want to read and then re-read them again just to make sure I'd know exactly what was going on.

 _"What was that duplication spell called? Um ... gem something ... gemin ... gemino ... gemini ... Geminio! Yes that's it!"_ I thought to myself.

I used the incantation and all of the letters doubled. I took the duplicated copies as they would disappear after a month and put the originals back into the floorboards. If I really needed them longer than a month I could always write down what was written or just duplicate the originals again. After placing the rug back where it originally was, and also returning my future wand (I wish I could just have my own wand instead) to the fireplace mantle, I made my way back up the stairs to my room and closed my door shut.

Finally the answers I was looking for were in my possession. I didn't know which one to open first. My options were either to read the two letters addressed to me, or the letter from Ron. I'm sure the letter from Ron is nothing more than just complaining on his end about this guy I am contractually bound to. I'll probably read this last. Looking at the two letters that were addressed to me, I noticed that one was postmarked on September 1st and the next was September 4th. I decided to open the one from the earlier date first.

In anticipation of seeing who wrote to me, I skimmed to the bottom and was thrilled to see that it was from ... No freaking way. Harry Potter? My parents bound me to Harry?! Oh good Godric I'm so happy I could scream! I decided to hold in my shrieks of joy for now because it could wake up Mum and Dad. I started reading the first letter Harry had written to me.

* * *

 _Dear Ginny,_

 _I have a lot to tell you and I hope that's alright for my first letter._

 _I realize that this may seem trivial, but I really did appreciate you going through the wall with me. I really was nervous and afraid of what to do around your family, and seeing Ron go through first made it even more scary. I felt a lot more relaxed when you went with me._ _When I got on the train and waved goodbye, I felt sad that I was leaving you behind. I wanted to spend more time with my only friend. Growing up, I was never allowed to be friends with anyone so it felt great to finally meet someone my own age that actually likes me as I am. We may need to work on you freaking out when seeing me though._

 _When I first got on the train, I met your brother Ron. He asked if he could sit in the same cabin as me. He was a little shy at first, but then started warming up after we started talking about this fascinating game called Quidditch. I really hope I get to play it sometime soon!_ _We were eventually interrupted by a girl with a lot bushy hair who was looking for some guy's toad named Trevor. I think the boy's name was_ _Neville Longbottom._ _The girl who interrupted us, who's name is Hermione Granger by the way, then repaired my glasses with her wand. I never magic could do that! Hermione seems okay for now, but I didn't like it when she learned who I am._

 _As I mentioned before, I never did any of those things in the books about me. Well except for killing Voldemort apparently. So it aggravated me when Hermione said that books never lied to her before, and that I must be mistaken. I pointed out to her that considering the books are all about me, you'd think she'd listen to me when I said that everything that's been printed about me is a load of bullocks. She shut up real quick afterwards._

 _After that, three boys approached my cabin and introduced themselves as Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Draco Malfoy. They were rude and made fun of Ron for being poor and then picked on Hermione for being a "mudblood". I dont know what it means, but it did upset her. I have no wish to be around those three cretins. They seem to cause nothing but trouble._

 _When we reached Hogwarts, the first years were gathered and escorted to the boats that led across the lake to the castle. The castle is amazing and I can't wait for you to see it for yourself._ _Eventually we were gathered in the Great Hall and made our way to the sorting hat. This is where things turned bad. As soon as I put the hat on, it kept on convincing me that Slytherin House was the best choice for me. I didn't want to go however because I learned that Slytherin was the house that Voldemort was in. I do not wish to be associated with anything that involves him. Ever. The hat won in the end though and I was placed in Slytherin._

* * *

I stopped reading the letter for a moment. I temporarily forgot that Harry is now in Slytherin and I froze with fear. Why would he end up there? What could have caused him to get selected in that house? Is Mum right after all, and he may become a dark wizard? No. I can't be like this. I don't know him that well, so I can't go around judging him without any kind of indication on who he really is. I kept reading the remainder of the letter.

* * *

 _I was insisting to the other professors that the hat made the wrong choice, but they refused to move me to another house. Apparently there is nothing that can be done once the hat chooses where you will go. I don't understand why I would be placed there! I'm not evil!_

 _The only good news is that I do know someone that is in the same house with me; Hermione Granger. I'm not exactly pleased it was her though. I just hopes she lightens up. She was just as shocked as I was and wanted to be in Ravenclaw because that's where all the "intelligent" witches and wizards go. Even though I'm sorry she ended up in Slytherin, I'm glad she's with me. We may not get along well yet, but so far she's my only friend here._

 _You're probably wondering why I didn't mention Ron about being my friend. Well it turns out your brothers were less than thrilled about me being in the snake house. Ron kept shooting me a death glare and your older brother, I think I heard his name was Percy, shot Hermione and I a sneered look too. I did get a chance to meet Fred and George on the train and they seemed nice enough, but they just gave us some worried looks across the hall._

 _My head of Slytherin House is Professor Snape, the potions master of the school. He seemed shocked I was placed into his house as well. I didn't get to know much about him really beyond that. Hopefully he's nice, but who knows what will happen._

 _I think I will stop for now and send you another letter soon._

 _I'm glad I met you Ginny._

 _Your friend,_

 _Harry Potter_

* * *

Wow. Im conflicted with what I should do. Maybe I'm just being a bit prejudiced about Slytherins, but I just can't help it.

I turned my attention to the remaining letters. It seems this other letter for me was from Harry too. Great. Ok wait that's not what I mean. I'm glad it was from him, but I didn't want things to turn out this way. I wanted him to love me on his own and not through the power of a marriage contract. Now I'll always be wary if he truly feels this way or is just infatuated because of a stupid magical document.

I sighed and picked up the letter that was from Ron to my parents. I just hope the prat explained why he hasn't bothered to write me yet.

* * *

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _I did exactly as you asked me to. I tried to befriend Harry Potter as soon as we got on the train, but all he kept doing was ask questions about Ginny. Why was he asking about her? Did the two of them meet somehow?_

 _I know that Ginny is in some kind of contract with him, but I have some bad news about the Boy-Who-Lived. He's in SLYTHERIN! That's right! The supposed defeater of the "You-Know-Who" is in the same house him. Harry Potter is nothing but a no good rotten dirty snake worshiper!_ _I don't trust him. Now that the plans with that Hermione girl have failed too, we also need to watch out for her. Who would have thought that both of them would end up in Slytherin?_

 _That's all for now,_

 _Ron_

 _P.S. I'm sure you heard already heard, but I got into Gryffindor! The Weasley family tradition continues!_

* * *

My hands were shaking with rage when I finished the short letter.

 _"THAT ARROGANT THICK HEADED JERK! He's the reason my parents don't trust Harry? I'm going to give him a bat bogey hex so brutal he won't be able to see for a week!"_ I angrily thought.

It wasn't just my brother I was angry at however. It seems that my parents were scheming along with Ron and Dumbledore so that my idiot brother, and this Hermione girl, would be Harry's fake friends. I'm glad that this plan blew up in their face. Now Harry will be able to have real friends. Although Hermione is now in Slytherin, I bet she will befriend Harry regardless.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I forgot there was another letter that still had to be opened. I reached for the final letter and this time it was written on September the 4th. I could tell this one was not nearly as pleasant as the others. The writing on the front was not as neat. The letter was also sloppily rushed at points.

* * *

 _Dear Ginny,_

 _I'm not sure if you received my last letter or not. Just in case it did not arrive, I'll just explain briefly what I said in the last letter._ _I instantly missed you when I got on the train. You really are my first friend and I wanted to spend more time with you._ _The castle of Hogwarts is amazing and I'm glad I was glad I'm at school._ _I was sorted into the Slytherin house along with someone else I befriended on the train. Her name is Hermione Granger and is quite annoying thus far._ _Your brothers seem to dislike me even though I barely know them. I think it's because of this Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry I've heard about._ _Now on to this letter._

 _I don't want to be here anymore Ginny. While this place may not be as horrible as living with my Aunt and Uncle, I still would rather be out on my own than live here in the castle for one more minute._ _Your brother Ron is constantly berating me and Hermione any single chance he can get. For example, I remember yesterday in transfiguration class he threw a piece of crumpled up parchment at me, and as soon as I picked it up, Professor McGonagall took house points away from Slytherin for me not paying attention. How unfair is that?_

 _When we exited class, your brother made fun of Hermione for being a muggleborn and called her that word "mudblood" again. She was in tears and fled to a nearby broom closet to be alone. Even though she is a know it all, I wasn't going to stand there and let your brother say those things to her. I was just about to punch your git of a brother in the face when Professor Dumbledore told us all to go on our way. I tried to explain what was going on, but the headmaster wouldn't hear anything of it. I am starting to think everyone who's not in Slytherin is prejudiced against them._

 _Besides that, there are many in my own house who dislike me for getting rid of the dark lord. Apparently I was supposed to have died but had to ruin Voldemort's plans by surviving. Draco Malfoy was thankfully not one of them, but he hasn't said anything nice to me regardless. I guess I am just aiming to disappoint around here._

 _The only saving grace has been my friendship of Hermione, Professor Snape (I've heard he's mean, but he's been nothing but kind towards me and Hermione), and you of course. It does help that the Slytherins all get separate rooms so escaping from all these prats every day is a blessing._ _I wish there was some way I could see you Ginny. I could really use another hug from you._

 _Please respond back. I want to hear from my first friend again soon._

 _Harry Potter_

* * *

My heart was breaking with each passing line of the letter. Not only was Harry miserable, but he was receiving unfair treatment just because he was in Slytherin. Also what was going on with his Aunt and Uncle? Were they mean to him? I don't know what to think anymore. There were too many bombshells dropped on me today and I didn't want to deal with it. I took the letter and held it close to me while a few tears escaped my eyes. Harry was so nice and sweet, but all he got in return was pain.

There must be a way for me to send Harry a letter without my parents knowing. Using an owl would be too easy for my parents to snatch it away and read it for themselves. The only thing I could do was to try and find another way in one of our family books. Then I could send something to Harry somehow. I only hoped I could figure this problem out soon. Harry was upset and a friend. Well I was definitely going to be there for him. I was not about to let my friend down, so I would do everything I could to help him.

I would start to look for some kind of other method to reach Harry tomorrow. I realized I was extremely tired and crawled into bed whilst thinking of everything I overheard today.


	3. Chapter 3: Hello Again

**Disclaimer:** This story is 100% Alternate Universe and most, if not all, of the characters in this story are out of character as well. Also I don't own anything by J.K. Rowling and I am not trying to steal her characters, plots, or moments within the books that she has written. This is my own story and I also claim to not copy off of anyone else's work either in the process.

Please note that throughout this story, the characters will occasionally break the fourth wall. These sections will be represented in **bold** lettering. However in this chapter, if a section is **_bold italicized_** , it will represent the voice of Tom Riddle, which can only be heard by Ginny Weasley.

 **What Happened Previously:** While overhearing her parents in an argument, Ginny finds out that she is in a possible marriage contract with a boy in Slytherin, and her Mum and Dad were hiding letters from her. Later that night, Ginny discovers the missing letters, and discovers that Harry did write her back.

 **Last Updated: 4/9/18**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Hello Again**

 ** _(Ginny P.O.V.)_**

 **December 17th, 1991:**

The snow was falling hard, and the Burrow was covered from head to toe in white. Normally Ron and I would go outside around this time, build a snowman, and have a lot of snowball fights. He was never good at creating snowballs because he was always too slow. Whenever he would have one ready, I'd have at least three. Then the pummeling on my brother would begin. A few years ago before the twins left for school, there was a massive snowball fight between me, Ron, the twins, and Mum and Dad. Percy, of course, declined because he found it "childish". How could anyone find snowball fights to be childish? Everyone loves them! Sometimes I wonder if Percy was adopted.

That snowball fight lasted several hours and by the end, everyone was cold, damp, and exhausted from the fight. No one cared, however, because it was an amazing family bonding moment. I'll never forget that day as long as I live.

Things have gotten worse since my brothers left me at home a few months ago. Mum has been overbearing and always tries to watch my every move. She was never this bad when one of my brothers were around, but now that it's just me, I feel trapped. Mum would always ask where I was going, and what I would be doing, and it going annoying real fast. Her questioning usually ended with _"Don't go too far, dear. I want you in my eyesight."_ Where could I possibly go? I can't apparate, and I'm not allowed to fly above the tree line so that muggles won't see. Also, it's bloody cold so there's no way I would fly, or spend that much time outside anyway.

Three months have passed since I learned about this contract I'm involved with. Since then, I am no closer to the truth about what this contract means, or why my parents made it in the first place. Every time I think I hear something important, it turns out to be nothing more than gibberish or something about the Ministry of Magic that I don't understand. As much as I hate to admit it, Dumbledore needs to come back to the Burrow. Seeing as he's the one who made this whole thing possible, he would be the only one to get my parents to talk about it. It's the only way for me to overhear more information. Unfortunately, Dumbledore hasn't been back for months, so it's unlikely he would show up again anytime soon.

Ever since the reveal of this contract, my parents have continued to hide the mail sent to me. This doesn't only pertain to Harry. Apparently, Fred and George tried to send a letter once, but it ended up being "misplaced" as my father claimed. Thankfully Mum and Dad kept hiding the letters in the same place in the missing floorboard so it was easy to discover what was going on. The twins' letter didn't reveal anything about my marriage contract, so I didn't understand why I couldn't read it.

Harry's letters were becoming more and more depressing, and it was because of me. Well not exactly. I couldn't write back to him because I was constantly monitored. I could also tell he was getting upset with me for not responding over the last 3 months, but there was nothing I could do.

Mum was already suspicious of my actions, so sending out a letter would definitely raise some questions. I'd assume that once she caught me trying to send a letter, she'd read it first, and then it would most likely be torn up. Then I'd be sent somewhere far away from Hogwarts. If that were to happen, I would never be free. Sure I would be in a different country, in a different school, with different people, but there was always a way for Mum to keep me under her thumb. Since Dad is in the Ministry of Magic, it wouldn't be unheard of for someone to watch what I was doing, and then send reports to my parents. The worst thing about this was I couldn't even tell Harry what was going on.

I found out through Harry's letters that my so-called brother "Ronald" was being an absolute terror towards him and Hermione. In every single letter, Harry would describe what kind of monster Ron really was and I believed him. There were mentions of fights, name calling, and instances of him purposely trying to get the two Slytherins in trouble. What's Ron's problem? He was never like this before going to Hogwarts. I guess he feels betrayed by Harry for being a Slytherin even though Harry had no control over it.

Although my parents never opened any of my letters from Harry, in this one instance I wish they would. They couldn't be this naive of their son. Could they? I really hope that's not the case. I guess the only way I will find out is by going to Hogwarts. Only nine more months to go and then I can start figuring out my endless list of questions. I couldn't understand why my other brothers, or my parents for that matter, disliked the Slytherins. Is it true that all of them went dark? No, but most of the wizarding world believes it's true because of You-Know-Who. Have other wizards gone dark from the other Hogwarts Houses? Yes. I know my parents mentioned that Sirius Black was in Gryffindor, and he killed thirteen people before he was sent to Azkaban.

One day my parents will learn about what Ron is like in school, and I couldn't wait to listen in on the screaming from Mum. Oh who am I kidding? Since Harry and Hermione are in Slytherin, there's no way my parents would take their word over their son's. It's completely prejudiced and I'm sick of it. Thankfully, Hogwarts is about trying to unify the houses (at least my parents put it that way) and I will not be against the Slytherins except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Those three can go jump off of a cliff for all I care.

So what's the real reason behind all these prejudices? Just because one psychopath ended up in Slytherin, doesn't mean the rest are just as messed up as he is. Besides snakes are not bad animals. They do what they need in order to survive. I remember having one as a pet for a few weeks a few years ago, before Mum made me release it back into the wild. I'm guessing she hated snakes back then as much as she does now. I don't care though. I like them and think they're fascinating creatures.

A few days ago I read what may have been Harry's last attempt to contact me via post. I still have the duplicate of the letter in my desk drawer and read it a few times a day. I remember before I even read the letter for the first time, I had tears gathering up in my eyes because I could sense this one was extremely troubling. With nervous hands, I opened the letter and braced myself for what was to come.

* * *

 _Ginny,_

 _I was wrong about you. I wasn't lying when I told you months ago that you were the first friend I ever had. Growing up the way I did, I was never allowed to have friends. Now that I'm finally free to have some, I don't plan on taking my friendships with others lightly._

 _I've sent many letters to you, but I've never been given one in return. I'm starting to understand why. I really thought we could try and get to know one another better, but I'm guessing this falling out has to deal with the fact that I'm in Slytherin. As I said in my previous letters, I'm not evil and never will be. The sorting hat chose put me there based on my wit and determination._

 _Being in Slytherin is as bad as I thought it would be, but for all the wrong reasons. The other houses have no idea the amount of hatred we get on a daily basis. Making the Slytherins a scapegoat for the world's problems is no way to go about things. If there's one saving grace for being put in this house, its that someday I will change it all around here. One way or another._

 _I have visited Professor Dumbledore multiple times and asked if perhaps you had received any of my letters. Since he knows your parents, I thought he would be able to tell me if you received anything. He said you did get every letter, but it was ultimately up to you as to whether or not you would write back. Now that I know I am just wasting my time with you, I wanted to say that this is goodbye._

 _Harry Potter_

* * *

I cried my eyes out. I wanted to write to him so badly, but couldn't while living at home.

 _"This makes no sense. Mum and Dad are so keen on Harry and I not making contact but they made this marriage contract anyways so they can't undo it! Why are they so infuriating?"_ I screamed in my head.

Since the beginning of October, I've had trouble sleeping and been losing a lot of weight from not eating. My mother would always question me as to why I was always so tired, or why I wouldn't eat meals during the day, but I would try to think of an excuse that sounded plausible.

I don't know if she bought the excuses, but I honestly don't care. I could tell that my parents were concerned about my well being, but if they really wanted to help then they could start by explaining why they are preventing Harry from contacting me.

Of course, that would be too much to hope for.

The holidays were approaching quickly and soon Christmas would be here. I was expecting my brothers to return home for the holidays. This was the only reason why I started eating more. Christmas was always special with my family because we always tried to be together each year no matter what the circumstances. This year would be different though.

Ron, Fred, George, and Percy were not coming home because Mum, Dad, and I are going to Romania to visit Charlie at his Dragon's Reserve. This of course was sprung on me at the last possible moment. Bill would still be in Egypt by the time Christmas arrived because he was not able to get the time off. I would have much rather had a family Christmas here because it would provide me time to spend with my brothers who are away. That and grind Ron into a pulp for how he was treating Harry and Hermione.

I decided that today I was going to go outside and try to make a few snowmen before lunch. Maybe I could make a snowman family? I grabbed my things and started to make my way down the stairs, when I noticed my Mum was talking to Dumbledore in the kitchen. Good. Now I can finally get some answers out of that old man.

I sneaked closer to their conversation by hugging the railings of the stairs. It turns out that Dumbledore wasn't actually in the kitchen, but was floo calling through the fireplace. I wasn't able to make much out from what Dumbledore was saying. Mum, however, was another matter entirely.

"I DON'T WANT HIM COMING OVER HERE ALBUS!"

Say what you will about Mum, but she sure can scream. If I wasn't focusing so much on the conversation at hand, I would have probably laughed because Dumbledore never got one word in. I'm glad I inherited the ability to intimidate from Mum, because it has proven effective against my brothers from time to time. That and the fact I have a lot of dirt on each of them.

"He's a Slytherin, and is obviously wrong for her! Can't you see he's just trying to turn her against us? Tell that boy to never bother her again or I will transfer Ginny to Beauxbatons, regardless of her tuition being paid for by him. Arthur and I have the final say in the matter! Goodbye, Albus!" Mum exclaimed.

I waited a little bit before moving. As soon as Mum exited the kitchen, I ran outside and raced towards an open area in the snow, I eventually gave out and fell on my knees into the powdered white around me. I cried my eyes out and fell back into the snow.

The earth floor was cold and I trembled at the new feelings of harsh frost on my body, but I didn't care. Why should I? Mum and Dad were going to keep me away from Harry no matter what. It was only a matter of time before they decided I was being too close to him and pull me out of Hogwarts.

Why would Mum and Dad even bother sending me to Hogwarts at all? Perhaps my parents want me to meet someone else in hopes of this contract being annulled. It's the only thing that makes any sense to me. Who's not to say however that I am in a contract with someone else? If my own mother and father had no qualms about selling me off to Harry when I was younger, what's to stop them from doing it again?

Also what's this about Harry paying for my tuition? Does he know that he paid for it all? I assume the answer is no. Harry has had so many things hidden from him already and he's only eleven years old. I couldn't help but realize how many galleons a full payment for Hogwarts was and became shocked that Harry could afford such matters. While I am extremely grateful my betrothed paid my tuition in full, I swore I would repay him back every cent that was spent on me.

The longer I reflected on these thoughts, the more I wanted to just give up and freeze to death out here. Eventually, my mind seemed to push the negative emotions within myself even further and I did the only thing I could do.

I closed my eyes and laid in the ground for what felt like hours. The raging emotions within me were softening and it eventually became much easier to think. As I picked myself up and went back inside, with a new sense of determination mind you, I vowed to myself that I would try to reach out to Harry. I owed it to not only him, but myself as well.

* * *

 **February 10th, 1992:**

Nothing. Not one single thing in this house, in any book, or any of my parent's notes could help me find a way to speak to Harry. How is that possible? Were my parents smart enough to hide this information from me? I set down the last book in the family library, and hung my head in disappointment.

I even tried to convince my parents to floo over to Diagon Alley in hopes of checking out the book shops, but that idea was quickly squashed. When it got closer to Christmas, and we went shopping, I tried to sneak away but it was no use. I think my parents knew I had a letter for Harry, so they kept me close to prevent me sending it to him. The letter was only the backup plan, but it still failed.

Ever since Christmas ended, I dove into every single spell book that I could find around the house. Unfortunately most of the spells I found have been deemed as dark magic by the Ministry's standards. In my frustration I threw the last book out towards the living room and started putting back the remaining books on the floor. When the books were finally put back into place, I stood up and started walking back to my room. That never happened however because my eyes widened at the jaw-dropping experience that was taking place before me: the book was frozen in mid-air.

No really. The book was frozen in the air! Just in case my mind was losing it, I decided to move towards the book in the hall. I touched it and nothing happened. The book didn't fall and it was stuck in that spot in the air. I've heard of magic slowing down time, but not freezing it completely. I started walking back to the library but I accidentally hit an invisible barrier and fell on my backside. My head was throbbing from hitting the wall so hard.

"Ow!" I muttered aloud while rubbing my head because of the throbbing.

"Hello, Miss Weasley." said a voice.

I stood up and turned around in surprise. Professor Dumbledore was in our library. Why was he here?

"So you're the one making time stop, professor?"

"Yes. The magical energy I am creating in this dome is so powerful that it has caused time to stand still around us." Dumbledore said.

"Why are you here, professor?"

"To talk to you, of course, dear child."

"Well, I have no reason to talk to you. You're the reason why I'm not allowed to receive any mail from anyone!"

"Oh. I assume you overheard your parents." Dumbledore mentioned with a little less twinkle in his eyes.

"Yeah. And I know you, Mum, and Dad are all preventing me from contacting Harry because of a contract between him and I." As soon as those words left my mouth, Dumbledore's face grew quite grim.

"How do you know about that?"

"I've known for months, professor. I've been trying ever since then to find out what it's all about. Why was this contract ever made in the first place? Why did you three do this to me?" I asked with frustration in my voice.

"I'm afraid I cannot say, Miss Weasley. Your parents made me swear a wizard's oath to never reveal the cause of this contract with anyone."

"Then we have nothing else to discuss, professor. You can leave now."

Professor Dumbledore released the time barrier and allowed me to continue on my way. He made his way over to the kitchen but I could have cared less. I walked back over to the library and continued to search through the remainder of the family books, even though I had a good feeling that nothing in those books would help me. Sure enough, two hours later, I gave up and decided to fly outside again.

Even though it was only 9:30 that night, I wanted to have time to myself. I excused myself after dinner and headed up to my room under the assumption that I would head to sleep. I wasn't even close to being tired because of Dumbledore's arrival from earlier today. What could the old man possibly want to talk to me about? Maybe I shouldn't have blown him off after all. Wait what am I thinking? Why should I care what Dumbledore has to say? He drafted the contract between Harry and me, and now I cannot communicate with him, or anyone else for that matter! Good Godric that man is insufferable.

I pondered over the old wizard's intentions for the next two hours before deciding to actually head to sleep. I went to bed frustrated that night and only got a few hours.

* * *

 **February 14th, 1992:**

Dumbledore came back again. This is the fourth day in a row the bothersome old man has tried to talk to me, and every interaction from the past few days always ended the same. Dumbledore would try to talk to me, I would refuse and then ask him about the contract, he would refuse, and then neither of us would continue to speak. The old man would linger on in the kitchens of our house for a few hours and then leave. I don't know why Mum allowed Dumbledore to come over so many days in a row, but I'm sure he had some kind of crafty excuse.

I gave up using the family library two days ago but still sat in it to think. There really is nothing here that can assist me with finding out about this contract, or another way to contact Harry without being discovered. Since then I was just left with my own thoughts since I couldn't ask Mum or Dad about anything. I guess Dumbledore was not going to sit around waiting for me to change my mind today because he came back to the library.

"Miss Weasley? Can we possibly speak now?"

"Make it quick, Dumbledore. I have a lot of things on my mind right now, and I can thank you for nearly all of them." I said with blatant irritation.

The old wizard shut the doors to the library and then performed a few silencing spells. When he was sure that no one would hear us, Dumbledore continued to speak.

"As I said before Miss Weasley, I cannot reveal why you are in a marriage contract with Mr. Potter because of the oath I am under. Even if I wanted to talk to you about it, the charm in place would cause me to suddenly change topics in the conversation."

"Then why bother trying to talking to me, professor? The only thing I want to know about is something that you can't tell me. You already know I'm mad at you since I can't send or receive mail, and also because of you, I can't talk to my parents about this contract. If I do, they'll send me off to Beauxbatons."

"I am sorry Miss Weasley. I truly am. Please realize this contract was foolishly made by three people who only wanted you to have a better future. Now that your parents want nothing to do with Mr. Potter, they've regretted their decision to create this contract in the first place."

I scoffed at that. If my parents really wanted what's best for me, then they should have never made this contract at all. Their hatred for the Slytherins and disregard for my own happiness is why I'm in this situation in the first place. My Mum and Dad are idiots.

"Then we have nothing to discuss, professor. As I've said the last few days, if you can't tell me, then leave me alone. There's nothing you can say to me that will make me want to speak to you." I said.

"I'm afraid I must disagree, Miss Weasley. My true intention the last few days was to get you to agree to come to Hogwarts with me. Something has happened and I would appreciate it if you could come."

"Not bloody likely, professor. What's so important for me to come to the school anyway?"

"It's about Harry, Miss Weasley. I'm afraid Mr. Potter is extremely ill, and he could use a friend right now."

My eyes widened in shock. Now I see why Dumbledore kept trying to talk to me. I can't believe Harry's sick! I need to go see him now! Wait. Hold on. The old man waited days to tell me this news? What the hell is wrong with him?

"Why didn't you mention this earlier, Dumbledore?" I asked with a lot of annoyance towards the old man.

"It's quite simple Miss Weasley. I know you're angry with me and I didn't want to push you into more anger. Today is different, however, because even though Mr. Potter's health was not too serious the last few days, it has taken a turn for the worse right now. I know Harry misses you quite a lot, and seeing a familiar face may do some good. Even though I have been instructed by your parents to keep the two of you apart, I feel that I must do something for you in return for being part of this marriage contract mess."

"I don't think I should go, professor." I said cautiously.

"Oh? Why?"

"Harry has been sending me letters ever since the beginning of the year, but I haven't been able to respond. He feels I am ignoring him and is upset with me because I'm apparently the first friend he's ever had. I don't blame him honestly. I wanted to write to him but with mum and dad around I wouldn't be able to communicate without their knowledge." I explained with tears welling up in my eyes.

"Well despite what his letters say, I know he misses you, Miss Weasley. I've been given reports from Miss Hermione Granger on almost a weekly basis, and somehow he always mentions you. I also know he's muttered your name a few times in his sleep just today alone." Dumbledore said.

My cheeks turned red from the intense amount of blushing that was creeping on my face. I genuinely was glad. More than glad actually. I just hope he isn't too mad at me when I see him. Wait. He's sick! I was so wrapped up in knowing that he missed me that I forgot to ask how bad his illness was!

"What happened to Harry, professor? How bad is he?" I asked worriedly.

"An older student managed to pour a badly concocted love potion into his drink a few days ago. At first, Mr. Potter was admitted to the Hospital Wing and was given antidotes to counter the love potion. From those antidotes, the boy had an allergic reaction and left him with a nasty case of dragon pox. I must say this is not the best way to spend a Valentines Day."

 **My Godric that is messed up. Harry never seems to get a break, does he?**

"Who would use a love potion on him, professor? Harry is only eleven years old!"

"The witch who did this had an obsession with Harry for a while now. She thought that by buying a cheaper love potion, it would cause Mr. Potter to fall in love with her. Her plan backfired, and now Mr. Potter's health hangs in the balance."

"Why won't you tell me her name, professor?"

"I cannot, Miss Weasley, simply because it is a matter of Ministry confidentiality, and because it's on a need to know basis. You, unfortunately, do not need to know."

"And what happened to the witch?" I asked with a lot of aggravation.

"She was sent off to Azkaban, Miss Weasley. Using any kind of love potion, whether it be cheaply or expertly made, is illegal. The Ministry of Magic conducted a trial last night where she admitted under veritaserum that her plan was to get Harry to fall in love with her, and eventually the two would be married. She wanted his fame and fortune to herself."

"That's absolutely disgusting, professor! What kind of person does something like that to a child?" I asked with pure hatred.

"Alas, we can only speculate why she decided to ruin her own life. She was one of our top students at Hogwarts, but now she has been reduced to nothing more than a criminal."

"She deserves more, Dumbledore. I want her kissed by the Dementors for trying to poison Harry!" I yelled.

"I understand you care for him, young lady, but I cannot change her sentencing. That's not important right now, though. I need you to make a decision about seeing Harry immediately. Will you come with me or not?" Dumbledore asked with some irritation at me.

I had to make a choice. Should I see Harry? Well yeah. The choice was obvious. I really should go and see him.

"Take me to him now!" I almost shouted. I seemed to have surprised the old wizard a little so I added a "please" to not seem so rude. The old man chuckled and didn't seem offended by me.

Dumbledore then did something with his hand and a second later a Phoenix flamed out of nowhere on his arm. I gasped at the sight of him but was reassured by Dumbledore that Fawkes was incredibly friendly and would never hurt a soul. I was instructed to grab hold of Fawkes' tail feathers and then I would be flamed into the hospital wing of Hogwarts. In the meantime, Dumbledore would distract my parents for maybe an hour so that I could get some quality time in with Harry.

Even though one hour is nowhere near the amount of time I was hoping for, I agreed to the Headmaster's terms since I was grateful for even being able to see Harry Potter at all. I quickly grabbed Fawkes' tail feathers and then the feeling of apparating ensued throughout my body.

I hated that feeling. It's like being sucked through a small tunnel, while having the wind knocked out of you, and then trying to stay conscious after being warped by a swirling vortex. Also, it makes me dizzy every time I get out of the apparition.

 **Ok, that's enough of that. I don't want to think about something that makes me nauseous. Let's get back to what happened, shall we?**

I landed on my behind in what I assumed was the Hogwarts Hospital Wing, being dizzy as ever. Fawkes was nowhere to be found, but I figured he flamed back to Dumbledore. How was I going to get back home without my parents noticing since Fawkes left? How would I call out to Fawkes anyway? Would he just appear when I needed him?

Sure enough, he did. Wow, that's amazing! Phoenixes always seemed to know when someone they trust needs their help and I guess I fall into that category now. Well, that's nice that he trusts me, even though we just met. I assured the majestic bird I was fine and then he went back to his master. If Dumbledore was able to distract my parents for an hour, or more, I would have to do something nice for him in return. Just then an older woman came over to speak to me. I assumed she was the healer since she appeared to look the part.

"You're the child here to see Harry right? The professor informed me of your arrival." asked the hospital matron.

"Yes, ma'am. My name is Ginny Weasley." I said.

"Oh, of course, I should have realized. The red hair and freckles give it away. I've had all of your brothers in here at least once." the matron said. "My name is Poppy Pomfrey, but everyone calls me Madam Pomfrey."

"Pleased to meet you." I said whilst shaking her hand.

"My my. A Weasley and well mannered! You will do well here at Hogwarts. I have no doubt." said Madam Pomfrey.

The two of us laughed a little before she directed me over towards the disease ward of the hospital. I had to admit that I was nervous about seeing Harry. The two of us had only spoken in public once and, even though Harry revealed a lot about himself throughout his letters, he knew next to nothing about me. As I approached Harry's bed, I could see why Dumbledore asked me to come here: he looked terrible.

 **Ok, I get that he is sick, in the hospital wing, and has the dragon pox disease, but that's not what I meant.**

Harry looked tired. There were many bags around his eyes and he appeared to have not slept since he arrived at Hogwarts. Besides the eyes, his face seemed clammy and I could tell it was because of the inducing fever. Harry's eyes were closed but every once in a while I could see them flutter open and then close just as quickly.

"Go on, Miss Weasley. You won't catch his illness I assure you." Madam Pomfrey said.

"Are you sure? He looks pretty bad."

"Of course I'm sure, girl. I take my job seriously here at Hogwarts. I wouldn't even let you near him if he was contagious."

She makes a good point. The medical matron then left me with Harry and began walking back to her office. I turned my head towards the boy in the bed and a small part of me hoped he was sleeping peacefully. I sat at the end of the bed and gathered up all the courage I possibly could in order to speak to him.

"Harry? Harry? It's Ginny. Are you awake?" I asked in a quiet voice. At first, I didn't think he heard me, but I was proven wrong when his eyes opened all the way and he realized that I was here.

"Ginny? You … you're here?" He asked hoarsely.

"Yes. It's me." I admitted.

"Come closer please?"

I had no idea what his reaction would be when he saw me again, but this was not was I was expecting. I moved right next to him on the bed and now I could see in his eyes without any trouble. The intense green color I saw months ago was not present and his eyes seemed to be grayer. It must be because of his sickness. I only hope I can see the green color in his eyes again soon.

"Why didn't you write to me?" Harry asked for what he could compose.

"Harry I ..." I unfortunately tried to get out.

I couldn't speak again! My mind and throat both closed up and I was left speechless in front of Harry. It was like being back at the train station months ago when I first met him. This is NOT what I need right now!

I thought that he was going to be mad at me for not responding based on what I read in the last letter. I was surprised, however, with what happened next. I saw in slow motion his right-hand rise towards me and it kept getting closer and closer. My eyes were widening with each passing second.

 _"Is he going to hit me? Oh please don't hit me!"_ I thought out of fear.

My nerves were killing me so I closed my eyes. As I prepared myself for the force of contact by his hand, my eyes started tearing up and a few tears were starting to fall. In the next moment, I felt something warm cupping the left side of my face and wiping away my tears. It was Harry's hand. My smile grew so large that it hurt just thinking about it.

 _"Oh my god he's touching my face! He wasn't going to hurt me after all! Well, I feel silly now."_ I thought. I was going to keep screaming with delight in my head but Harry spoke and broke my thoughts.

"Why are you sad? Did I … do something wrong?" I placed my hand over his which was still cupping my face.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong at all. It was me who was wrong, but please understand that I'm really REALLY sorry!" I wailed into him. Tears were falling more than ever now and Harry was having a hard time trying to get them all with his hand.

"What happened? Why couldn't you write me back?"

Of course he had to ask. I can't possibly tell him about this contract when I don't even understand it all myself. I thought I could delay this as long as possible while seeing him today while he was sleeping, but any chance of that happening was already out the window. Wait. Perhaps I am looking at this the wrong way. Maybe I don't have to tell him the whole truth, but I don't want to lie to him either. He does deserve something for why I couldn't write back after all this time. Right? Right.

"Harry I wanted to write you the moment I saw your first two letters, but I can't because my parents are not allowing me to contact you. I think it's about you being in Slytherin. Please believe me when I say that I don't feel the same way. I don't care what house you're in, Harry. I can tell you're not evil. No one so kind could ever turn out to be that demented." I said.

"Thank you ... Ginny." Harry tried to say but I could tell he was getting exhausted from the lack of energy. His hand slid from my face and it dropped to the side of the bed next to him.

"Harry you need to sleep. Please. You're not well."

"No ... don't want you to leave."

"I have to, Harry. I was only given an hour to see you and my time is almost up."

"Can … you come back? This is only the second time I've seen you."

He truly is a sweet boy. My heart stopped when he mentioned thinking about me, but it quickly began beating again before I died of happiness. When I spoke again I looked directly into his eyes.

"Harry I do want to stay, but I have to leave. This is not the last time you'll see me. Okay? I will try my best to write to you without my parents knowing." I said.

Harry nodded and his eyes started to flutter to a close once again.

"Goodbye ... Ginny ... you're an angel." He muttered before succumbing to his tiredness.

I don't know if he truly felt that way, but I was still gushing with happiness at the comment that I had just received from him. I waited a few minutes for him to fall deeply asleep before I decided to do one last thing. I brought my hand to his face and felt his forehead. It was a little cold. He was going to have a rough recovery, but I knew he would pull through. I stood up from my place on the bed and then leaned in towards his ear so that only he could hear me.

"Goodbye, Harry." I whispered to him.

I unfortunately had to let go and then summon Fawkes with my thoughts. The brightly colored creature then appeared before me and instantly held on to him as he whisked me away.

* * *

 **July 31st, 1992:**

It's been a month since I saw Harry last and it was when he, unfortunately, ended up in the Hospital Wing again. This time he survived an attack from You-Know-Who and prevented him from getting the Sorcerer's Stone. Apparently, the dark lord possessed the Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Professor Quirrell, over a year ago and was making him act as a spy within Hogwarts. The man hid You-Know-Who under his purple turban the entire time.

 **I did see Harry again briefly at the train station when everyone was going home, but I don't consider that as seeing him last. A few minutes is too short to be considered, but that's not important. I'll get back to the story now.**

How I made it this long without seeing Harry, I'll never know. I'm really starting to have withdrawal symptoms and it seems that any amount of time I get with him is never enough. I always want more. Thank Merlin that Dumbledore was able to get us time to see each other around once to twice a month since Valentine's Day. I didn't even realize that was the day when I saw him until a few days later. Oh if only I could have remembered to bring something for him, but there's no use in looking back on the past.

Professor Quirrell was apparently behind the almost successful attack on Harry's life in the Quidditch match he mentioned to me some time ago, and for also setting the troll loose in the dungeon last Halloween. I also recall the story of Harry seeing You-Know-Who drink the blood of slain unicorns some time ago and shuddered at the thought of someone doing such a thing. This guy really wanted some harm to come to Harry, but I'm glad he failed. Whatever that maniac needed the stone for, I never found out because this kind of news is "not appropriate for girls my age" according to Mum. Even though I wasn't able to find out from her, Harry will tell me when he can. We have become incredibly close the last few months.

We talk about everything we can possibly think of: Quidditch, favorite hobbies, personal interests, and on and on and on. The only subject that seems to be a sore spot for Harry is his childhood. I brought it up once in April and regretted it because the look on his face gave me all the answers I would need. I apologized for asking and didn't want to make him upset, but he assured me that it was a perfectly normal question to ask and that he wasn't offended. Harry was just sad. Harry told me that his childhood was something that should not be repeated by anyone including Draco Malfoy. I shuddered to think what that meant.

Harry promised me that one day he would explain more about his childhood when he was ready, but couldn't do so at the time. I understood completely. I would never rush him to go into something so personal.

Usually, our visits would occur on the weekends so that Harry wouldn't be in classes, but that was fine with me. We'd normally talk about what has been going on since we saw one another. Dumbledore would let the two of us hang out in his office while he would keep my parents busy with business in the Order of the Phoenix, whatever that is, and probably some upkeep on how the marriage contract is transpiring.

 **No, I still haven't told Harry yet. If I tell him without knowing anything about it then it's not very beneficial to either one of us now is it?**

I can only guess that Mum is still trying to annul the contract because "Harry Bloody Potter" is now no longer to be spoken about in the house by anyone. I still don't know why she has such a dislike of the Slytherins or just Harry. Like I've said before, Harry is a great person and can't be evil no matter what anyone says.

Since my last visit with Harry, I began writing replies to all of his letters from this past year. I wanted to do so the minute I got them but never bothered to because I couldn't send them regardless. Now that Dumbledore was helping the both of us out, sending mail was easier thanks to Fawkes. I think I use him every other day whenever my parents are out.

I am dealing with a few problems today. The first is its Harry's birthday and I can't give him anything. No, that's not correct. I may not see him until September because he is back living with his "wonderful" relatives again. Plus Fawkes is unavailable for some reason, so I can't even send a letter. I only wish Harry would stay here in the burrow with me. I don't care if my family disapproves.

The other problem is that I don't even have anything to give Harry. Suddenly an idea popped into my head.

 _"Wait! I got it! I know what I can make for him!"_ I gleefully thought to myself. If this all came out right, it would definitely be a present to remember.

As the hours progressed with making Harry's gift, I could hear my twin brothers causing a ruckus up above me. I guess those two will never change. I suppose Percy won't either but that's not a good thing. He really is far too stuck up for his own good and needs to loosen up a bit. That tightwad normally spends hours in his room studying whatever he can.

I laughed a little as I remembered a memory from not too long ago. I was thinking about a time when the twins picked on Percy for becoming a prefect. They named him: _"Perfect Percy the Pompous Prefect!"_ I know it's not too terribly funny, but my younger self couldn't help it and laughed so hard that milk came out of my nose.

Surprisingly the only person who seemed to change dramatically was Ron. Ever since he's gotten home from Hogwarts, he's become so full of himself. Now that he's gone to school, and learned something for once in his life, he doesn't have time for his little sister anymore. In case that wasn't enough, the arse that my brother has become broke a huge promise to me throughout the entire past year. Did you know he never wrote to me once? Not once. Not even on Christmas! I don't understand why he changed so much and it bothers me a lot. The real Ron seemed like a distant memory from such a long time ago.

I think I noticed his demeanor change instantly when Mum, Dad and I came to pick everyone up from the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 & 3/4. I tried giving Ron a hug but he shoved me and claimed that I was "annoying him" and "feeling smothered" by me. As I picked myself up I saw him scowl, and then just move on to Mum and Dad. Neither of our parents witnessed what had just happened to me.

I almost cried right then and there. I know I still wanted to enact my revenge on him for his treatment towards Harry and Hermione, but I still missed Ron and his actions did hurt me. It was probably a good thing I didn't cry because I would have probably received more flack from Ron. A girl who cries like a baby is loathing to him, and it would have only made things worse. As he walked away towards my family I found myself alone again. I knew for sure that the tears in my eyes were going to fall any second. Before my tears started, however, someone I care about very dearly with intense green eyes and raven black hair saw I was upset and came to talk to me. He hugged me for the longest time and I relished in his embrace. When the hug was over, the hurt over my heart just melted away and the only thing that replaced it was joy. My face formed a smile so wide that it began to hurt after a minute and we both laughed. I'm so glad he's in my life. He's the kindest, sweetest, and most caring boy in the world. I wished the hug I received from Harry lasted forever. I just felt so safe around him.

The only thing that could have made me feel even better was knowing that Harry was going home to a family that actually cared about him. I know what kind of people he has to live with and I even got a glimpse of the fat older one yelling at Harry for being a few minutes late. One day I will persuade Harry to let me join him and get revenge on those horrible muggles.

 _"It's done! I really do hope you enjoy this Harry. I wish I was there to give this to you in person though."_ I thought.

The gift I made for Harry was a bracelet woven from my own hair. I wanted him to have a piece of me with him always. I don't know what these bracelets signify in the muggle world, but in our world, these bracelets represent trust, friendship, and untold amounts of care for the person who received the bracelet. Since I made this for Harry, I wanted him to know how exactly I felt about him. He had my complete trust and, also, my friendship with him in the palm of his hands. Now that his gift was finished, the final task at hand was to wrap it and then put it away for safekeeping. Thankfully I still had the wrapping paper in my room that I "borrowed" from the downstairs closet last night.

I had just enough wrapping paper left to put Harry's gift in. Thank Merlin for that. I then took his gift, and then put it underneath my bed because no one would think to look for it there. With nothing else left to do but waste time, I headed outside and went down to the pond near our house. It was quite relaxing. I spent the rest of the day there until mum called me in for dinner.

* * *

 **August 11, 1992:**

I didn't get to see Harry on his birthday which was unfortunate, but not unexpected. I'll give him his present the next time I see him since Fawkes has been unavailable to help me for most of the summer. I can only hope that I can see him today because it's a very special day that I will always remember.

 **Can you guess what today is? No? Well, let me give you a hint. Today is MY eleventh birthday!**

Aaaaaahhhh! It's finally here! I can't believe it came this quickly! I don't even care that it's around eight in the morning because it's my birthday! I'll sleep in tomorrow. Today is just too special to spend in bed! Every witch or wizard looks forward to the day when they turn eleven because it means they will receive their first Hogwarts letter and, with it, go to school to learn magic. I am so excited to go.

Even though I know I will get to learn more than ever before, I have spent so much time at home studying spells and incantations in hopes of getting a head start. I already know the basic wand movements by heart and I can perform simple first-year spells in my sleep. It's amazing what you can do when you are on your own a lot. Since Mum always spent her time either keeping the house in order, knitting, or going to the Ministry of Magic to spend time with dad, and my father would be at work most of the time, I had loads of time to myself. I didn't mind though, because it meant I could practice with my grandmother's wand without anyone stopping me from performing magic.

The amazing thing is that I found out, through Dumbledore of all people, is as long as magic is performed in a house or place where adults are registered by the ministry, no harm will come to those who perform magic. Even if they are underage, the rule still applies. This information has come in very handy for me.

With all this talk of magic, I couldn't help myself as I shot out of bed, ran down the stairs, and approached my parents in a cheerful mood. I couldn't help but notice that Mum was making my favorite breakfast: chocolate chip pancakes. I'm in heaven right now. The smells alone made my mouth water in anticipation.

"Good morning Ginny dear!" Mum said to me.

"Ginny! Did you have a good sleep?" Dad asked me.

"Morning Mum! Morning Dad! I feel great this morning!" I excitedly stated.

"Oh? Why is that Ginny?" Mum coyly asked.

"Today is my birthday, Mum! You know that!"

"Oh, that's why. How could I have possibly forgotten? Well, we are very happy for you on your special day!" Dad jokingly said.

I smiled so much that my face hurt. I haven't been this excited since I saw Harry for the first time almost a year ago. I sat down at the table and was treated to some chocolate chip pancakes after what seemed like forever. I know that these things take time to make, but even with magic, some things like chocolate chip pancakes need to be instantly created for people on their birthdays.

My eyes grew to the size of saucers as the plate of pancakes was brought to my face. After grabbing the syrup, and drenching my cakes with the sticky delectable liquid, I began devouring the heavenly edible pieces of chocolate and … batter?

 **I don't know what they're made of ok? I'm not a good cook like mum, and probably never will be! Don't get on my nerves or I'll hex you!**

I think I ate those pancakes in record time because in the blink of an eye they were gone. Almost like magic. Ha ha ha. Mum asked if I wanted seconds and my answer was an astounding "Yes!".

At the sound of my voice, it seemed my brothers all awoke at the same time and started heading down the stairs like a herd of elephants. In record time, Percy, George, Fred, and Ron of all people (it's odd he's up this early because he usually doesn't get up until later), sat at the table and began asking for pancakes as well. After Mum gave me my second portion, the boys were given a mountain of chocolate chip pancakes as well.

Now if me eating my pancakes in about 30 seconds was unheard of, then you really haven't eaten with my brothers. With the exception of Percy (How is he not adopted again?), Ron and the Twins began attacking the mountain of food and devoured them like they hadn't eaten for days. If this was the first time I saw this, my jaw would have dropped to the floor in shock. After some time, Mum spoke up to my brothers.

"Boys, don't you have something to say to your sister?"

Most of my idiot brothers looked at mum dumbfounded because they didn't know what to say. Typical. I can remember all of their birthdays but they cannot remember mine? How unfair is that? I thought I was going to have to speak up and straighten out these nimrods when Percy actually began speaking.

"Oh yes, now I remember. I almost forgot. Happy birthday, Ginevra." Percy said.

"Thanks, Percy." I said whilst smiling.

I was touched that he mostly remembered my birthday, but why does he always have to use my real name? I hate that name! I get that it's supposed to be modeled after King Arthur's wife, Guinevere, which means "fair one", but I really don't like my name. Also, there's nothing "fair" about me. I'm tough and all of my brothers know it. My parents still need some convincing now and again, however.

"Oh yes happy birthday ickle Gin-gin!" said one of the twins. I'm pretty sure this one was Fred.

"Yes right in one! Happy day of birthing, short stack!" said the other.

Yeah, this one was definitely George. He's the only one who calls me "short stack" and Godrick that nickname is really annoying. Fred usually was the more serious of the two, but in this case neither response from the twins sounded mature. I rolled my eyes at their stupid statements. I swear they can turn any situation into a joke.

"Thanks you two." I said to the both of them with slight annoyance. Then I turned my head to my youngest brother. He gave me a sour look and then proceeded to speak.

"Happy birthday." Ron grunted out.

I suppose I interrupted feeding time for him and he's usually grumpy when that happens. Wow. Thanks, Ron. I really appreciate your best wishes for me. I had to bite my lip so hard in order to not say what was on my mind. "What is your problem, Ron?" I don't understand what is going on with him. Also, why does it seem like everyone is oblivious to his behavior? I cannot be the only one who notices this. Right? I often have to do a double take whenever he speaks to see if everyone is aware of his sinister attitude and how he reacts to me.

I haven't seen Ron be this way with anyone else in the family. His resentment towards me must be associated with what he knows about the contract between Harry and me. This cannot be a coincidence because I distinctly remember a year ago that Ron was considered to be my best friend as well as my brother. I have no idea what to think about him now. Perhaps it's best to not go after my parents anymore for answers about this marriage contract and instead focus on Ron. Whatever. If my brother wants to be in a sour mood then he can go be grumpy and gloomy for all I care.

"Thanks." I said whilst trying very hard not to grind my teeth.

Ron didn't say anything and just returned to his food. Asshole. The rest of my brothers, however, were resuming their full swing of chaos at the table. When breakfast was over, I went upstairs, took a relaxing shower, and got ready for the day. As I sat down in front of my mirror and began brushing my hair, I realized I was missing something important that should have come by now.

 _"I wonder when I'll get my Hogwarts letter? I'm surprised the post didn't arrive this morning, but there's no way I wouldn't get one."_ I thought.

About thirty minutes later, I finally finished brushing my hair and then headed down the stairs. I was about to ask if I could go flying when Mum asked me a question first.

"There you are, young lady. I wanted to go ahead and give you your Hogwarts letter, and take you shopping today for few of your items in Diagon Alley. Would you like to go?"

I nodded with a smile on my face. So I am going to Hogwarts after all! Phew. And here I thought my parents might just send me away to Beauxbatons or something. I'm not going to that school and they can't make me! My mother handed me my letter. Even though I've read the entire thing before on the letters for my brothers, I still couldn't contain my excitement! I opened the envelope and read the passages written on the parchment.

* * *

 _Dear Ms. Weasley,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

 _Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than August 20._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

* * *

I then tried to find the list of all books and equipment I would need for school, but it seemed to be missing.

"Mum? Where's the list of supplies for school?"

"Oh, I took that out before you opened your letter. I have it right here." Mum said whilst showing me the list in her hand.

I was a little concerned that Mum opened my mail. Why would she do that? Maybe it has something to do with Harry? No no it's probably just my mother being overly cautious or something. I'm not too sure, but that's really invasive even for her.

"We need to get going because today we're going to be getting you your very own wand!" Mum exclaimed. "Let's go Ginny dear!"

That was completely unexpected. Mum was dead set on making me use my grandmother's wand for school the last few years. I guess this must be thanks to Harry paying for my education. I was never going to receive my own wand without his help apparently.

Mum and I headed over to the fireplace to use the floo network. She allowed me to go first and I threw down the powder just like I've done before and spoke the destination out loud clearly.

"Diagon Alley."

A moment later green flames surrounded me and then whisked me away to the floo connection port inside of Diagon Alley. Before either of us decided to head into any of the stores, Mum suggested we take out some money from Gringotts. This is where my whole world turned upside down in the blink of an eye. When we went to retrieve the money for our shopping spree, I was unfortunately forced to sit in the lobby. Mum went down to the catacombs below in one of their high-speed carts. No fair. I love those carts.

Anyway, while mum went down into the vaults, I overheard the goblins discussing something that was about my mother.

" ... but only someone with ties to the Potter vaults is allowed to enter. How is it that Molly Weasley was able to be granted access?" asked one of the goblins.

"Don't you know? Only Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have direct access to the Potter Family Vaults as part of the marriage contract that they signed years ago." said the other goblin.

"I suppose that's why they drafted the whole thing in the first place! Those Weasleys are quite greedy and have been trying to get ahold of the vast Potter fortune for years!"

Suddenly another goblin, who appeared to be their boss, came over and questioned what the two of them were talking about instead of working. When the pair discussed what was being talked about, and why, their boss reprimanded them.

"Be that as it may, it's not appropriate to be discussing these matters with the client in question, and her own daughter nearby. Think of what would happen if they were to overhear this conversation! Next time keep it to yourselves or the both of you will find yourselves without a job! Now get back to work!" said the boss.

The two goblins then hurried back to their stations while I was trying to keep my jaw from falling on the floor. My eyes widened in shock at the news of what I had heard finally cemented itself into my brain. My parents were trying to use the marriage of Harry and myself to access his fortune!

How could my parents do this? Why would they do this? How on earth is any of this possible? I need to get out of here. I feel like the whole room is collapsing around me and I won't be able to stay here for too much longer! I got up from my seat and began sprinting out of the bank. I didn't care where I went as long as it wasn't there! I was about to turn around a corner when I, unfortunately, ran into a man dressed head to toe in a dark cloak. The man fell over as a result of my clumsiness and I offered to help him up whilst offering my sincere apologies.

"It's quite alright my dear. There's no harm done now." the man said. "Even though you were the one responsible for knocking me down, I would still like to thank you by giving you a reward for helping me back up and apologizing."

Wait. Does he seriously want to reward me for knocking him over? Okay sure but this is just plain weird. I should have just said no and went on my way, but I could tell that the man was trying to be sincere about the whole thing. With a heartfelt acceptance, I decided to take the gift from the man. I reached out and grabbed a black book from the robed figure.

I instantly felt a pulse throughout my body but didn't feel the need to question it. I turned the diary over and realized that the book was inscribed to someone named Tom Marvolo Riddle. When I flipped open the pages, there was nothing written in it. How strange.

"I don't understand sir. Is this someone's diary?" I asked.

"Oh ho this is much more than a mere diary, little girl. All you have to do is write on the pages and see for yourself. Now run along and enjoy!" The man said before turning away from me.

Well, this has to be the strangest gift I've ever received from someone. I guess having a diary wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I turned back towards the man and wanted to thank him, but he mysteriously disappeared. I tried looking around for him but he seemed to have vanished into thin air.

 **What was I doing before all of this happened? Oh right. I remember now. I was running away from the bank from what I had overheard from the goblins.**

I tried running away again, but something in my head kept urging me to return to the bank and put the startling information about Harry's vault into the back of my mind. I could only assume it was my conscience.

 ** _"No need to cause your mother to worry. Head back to the bank and wait for her like a good little girl."_**

I guess it wouldn't hurt to go back to the bank. I normally would never try to face my Mum after I heard something like that, but ... I guess I should return. She may be worried. I thankfully arrived at the entrance of Gringotts with some time to spare as she had not come back yet. It was only a few minutes later that she returned and the both of us continued on our way. I was grateful that Mum did not notice the diary I had just acquired because she might have advised me to throw it away. Once again my thoughts persuaded me to keep quiet.

 ** _"Keep the diary hidden. It is your birthday after all and keeping it would be another great gift for you on your special day."_**

My conscience was right. It's my diary now and I'm not giving it up. Also, it is my birthday so it'll be like I'm getting another gift! Mum and I then headed to Ollivander's Wand Shop. Thankfully there was no one else in the store so getting a new wand was going to happen in no time at all.

The older wizard, who I assumed was Mr. Ollivander, came out and met the both of us with a humble smile. After some friendly chatter with my mother, Mr. Ollivander turned his sights on to me.

"Well now. I am rather surprised, young lady, that you're getting your own wand today. I thought you were to be inheriting your grandmother's wand?" he asked.

"I know. I'm very thankful to be getting my own wand."

Mr. Ollivander smiled and began pulling out a few wand boxes from his shelves. The wizard then placed the boxes on the table and asked me to choose one to try out, while I nervously placed my new diary on the counter. None of the wands were revealed from the boxes, so choosing where to start was just a random chance that I may find my own wand.

 ** _"Try the second one from the left."_** my conscience advised.

"I'll try the second from the left." I answered.

Mr. Ollivander then removed the wand from the box and I was shocked at how beautiful it was. The wand had a dark color or red represented throughout the wood and was highlighted with shades of black around the end. The end itself was woven elegantly throughout which created many corkscrew like folds. My conscience is really on point today. Maybe I should listen to it more often.

"Here you are." Mr. Ollivander stated whilst handing the wand over to me.

The moment I touched the wand, I could feel the untold power at my fingertips like I've never felt before. A swirling mist of orange energy surrounded me and I knew that could only mean one thing.

"Oh, my!" Mr. Ollivander exclaimed. "My dear girl this wand is the perfect wand for you. To have found your own wand this quickly, and to display such power while grasping it is truly remarkable!"

"That's quite impressive Ginny dear. I'm sure you'll do great things with this wand in your lifetime." Mum said.

Well, that was nice of her. This moment almost made me forget that my own mother and father forced me into an arranged marriage and subsequently took money from Harry Potter to finance my education.

"It feels perfect." I said.

Mr. Ollivander then placed the wand back into the box and handed it over to me. While Mum was handling the finances, I returned to thinking about why my parents forced Harry and I together.

I'm not complaining that Harry and I will get married. Honest! I've wanted this for as long as I can remember. I just don't want Harry to find out about this. He will find out eventually but I need to be the one who tells him first because if he hears it any other way then it will be warped into their perspective. The only problem with telling him is that I can't give Harry a reason as to why my parents did this. So telling him will have to wait.

 ** _"If Harry is truly your friend then he won't abandon you Ginny. No matter what occurs between the two of you, he must do the right thing in the end and accept what happened was not your fault. That's all that matters."_** said my conscience.

You're right conscience. Harry can't be mad at me or else it'll mean that he's not really my friend.

Mum finally finished with Mr. Ollivander and the two of us exited the wand shop. I wanted to go and get the remaining school supplies for Hogwarts, but Mum was insistent we go home and get them later.

 _"Fine Mum be that way. Just realize that we have to return here at some point and then you won't be able to keep me at home and away from certain wizards."_ I thought.

I held on to my mother as the two of us apparated away. I swear that I get nauseous every time I apparate. After appearing at the burrow and showing off to my other family members what my new wand looked like (Ron was not the least bit interested), I decided to head up to my room and take a quick rest. When I opened my door, I was surprised by what was inside: a gorgeous white owl with a letter in its talons on my bed.

"How did you get in here little one?" I asked.

The owl hooted at me with a questioning look. The bird then flapped its wings once and then proceeded to turn its head towards the window that was open in my room as if to say at me: "Through the window. How else?"

"Right sorry. I forgot I had the window open." I stupidly stated.

This owl is really funny. In response to my comment, the bird then gave me a look that kind of resembled rolling its eyes at me for my stupidity. I proceeded to laugh and then turned my attention to the letter.

"Can I have my letter please?" I asked the beautiful white owl.

The bird nodded its head slightly and then allowed me to grab the envelope. As I held it, I realized there was something inside because the shape of the letter was obtuse. With careful hands, I opened the letter and gasped a little when I was able to see what was inside.

The envelope contained a letter, and also a small box. I decided on reading the letter after I opened my gift. As soon as I touched the lid of the box it grew a few times bigger. What on earth is in here? I then tried lifting the lid once more and nothing happened that time. Ok, that's good. At least the box is done expanding in my hands. This time I opened the box all the way.

The sight of what was in the box took my breath away. A jeweled bracelet covered in rubies and emeralds sparkled elegantly in front of my eyes. The chain seemed to be made out of pure gold and in the middle of the bracelet was a beautiful crystallized rose that resembled my favorite flower: a Phoenix Rose.

I remembered reading about them around the age of seven. These roses are incredibly rare and is mostly darker shade of red with elements of oranges and yellows embedded into the petals. The flowers are formed from the tears of Phoenixes that burrow into the ground and after a year, the plant finally submerges itself. I also remember that the Phoenix Rose requires constant sunlight and will only bloom in the sun's rays.

The great thing about these roses is that once it wilts away, the plant is reborn from its decaying body when put into the ground. The only bad thing is that it still requires another year for the flower to grow again.

The only other thing I remember about the Phoenix Rose is that it can live for a total of 10 years before starting to wilt, and then eventually die. It's a far longer lifespan than any other plant in existence. Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that someone put a lot of time and care into turning a Phoenix Rose bracelet for me. It's so beautiful that I will probably never take it off! I couldn't imagine who could have possibly given me such a gift, but I decided to read the card and find out who sent it.

* * *

 _Dear Ginny,_

 _It pains me that I cannot give this to you in person, but I wanted you to have this for your birthday. In case you aren't aware, this is something called a "Phoenix Flower" and it only is available in certain times of the year. At least that's what Professor Dumbledore says. He was able to help me craft this gift for you. I honestly don't know if you like it, but the flower reminded me of your hair and I knew I had to get it for you._

 _The chain is interwoven with the stems of the flower and therefore has made it incredibly durable. The rose in the middle is enchanted with a crystallizing charm that will also cause the flower to never fade or wilt as well._

 _I hope we can see each other soon, Ginny. I miss you and want to talk to you again soon. Hopefully, you like the gift, because this is the first time I ever made something. Please don't be mad if you don't like it._

 _Talk to you again soon,_

 _Harry Potter_

 _P.S. - Happy eleventh birthday!_

 _P.P.S - The owl who sent you this letter is mine. Her name is Hedwig. She's very nice, but is constantly hungry for treats._

* * *

I held the letter against my chest and smiled widely. I should have known Harry would send this to me. He's been so sweet the last few months, but this gift was really unexpected! I turned my head to Hedwig and expressed my thanks. Her response was to hoot quite loudly in appreciation. I realized she probably wanted a few treats so I dug into my drawer and pulled out a few for her. She hooted again but not as loudly this time.

Suddenly I heard thumping coming up the stairs and I knew someone was heading towards my room because of Hedwig's unexpected shrills. I gave her my thanks and then politely shooed her out my window. I wish I had more time so I could have sent her back with a letter from Harry, but maybe next time. Next, I threw my gift from Harry under my pillow, grabbed one of my books, and sat on my bed while pretending to read. The door to my room suddenly opened and I found myself face to face with my father.

"There you are Ginny. We were all wondering where you were! What are you doing up here? Dad asked.

"Nothing Dad. I was just reading before you came up. Sorry to worry you."

"It's quite alright pumpkin. Now let's go down and help your mother with your birthday dinner. We can open presents afterwards ok?"

I nodded with another smile on my face and then left with my dad out of my room. I was sure glad that Hedwig left when she did. I can't imagine what would have happened if either one of my parents found a strange owl in my room.

I pushed this worrisome thought from my head and then headed down the stairs. I couldn't wait to eat and open presents. Hopefully, the wait wouldn't take too long, but knowing how my family loves to stall and keep me in agonizing anticipation, I felt that it would be.


	4. Chapter 4: The Chamber of Secrets

**Disclaimer:** This story is 100% Alternate Universe and most, if not all, of the characters in this story are out of character as well. Also I don't own anything by J.K. Rowling and I am not trying to steal her characters, plots, or moments within the books that she has written. This is my own story and I also claim to not copy off of anyone else's work either in the process.

Please note that throughout this story, the characters will occasionally break the fourth wall. These sections will be represented in **bold** lettering. However in this chapter, if a section is _**bold italicized**_ , it will represent the voice of Tom Riddle, which can only be heard by Ginny Weasley.

 **What Happened Previously:** Ginny and Harry finally see one another again five months later thanks to the assistance of Dumbledore. Fawkes was able to send messages to one another, but over the summer he proved to be unavailable. Harry gives Ginny a very special gift for her birthday, while Ginny is given a mysterious black book from someone in Diagon Alley.

 **Last Updated:** **4/9/18**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The** **Chamber of Secrets**

 _ **(Ginny P.O.V.)**_

The days that followed my birthday were some of the worst of my life. This was supposed to be a happy time for me because soon I would leave The Burrow and start to forge my destiny within the walls at Hogwarts. None of that mattered to me, however. All of the happy feelings I once felt were slowly disappearing and I knew exactly what the cause was: I could not shake the guilt at what my parents had done to Harry. Rather, I accepted the blame for what had transpired and became ill at the thought of this marriage contract.

If Harry and I still became husband and wife, then it will only be a magical bonding over the vast wealth in his name. At least that's what it looks like. This contract was created not out of love, nor happiness for me, or even prosperity for the people involved. Only financial matters were ever considered and it tore my heart to shreds. The only one who gets eternally screwed over in this deal is Harry, and it's not even his fault. Think about it: Harry has no idea this contract even exists, and when it's revealed, my betrothed will believe our friendship is a sham. From there I believe he will want nothing to do with me.

What I want to know above all else is does the contract purposely strengthen the couple's feelings towards one another? Would Harry even feel this way without the contract, or is it even possible that the contract doesn't do anything like that and only binds us later on through marriage? It's really confusing for sure, and it makes me even question if what Harry is feeling for me is even real at all. I also noticed something extremely important not too long ago; the way Harry and I met seemed too coincidental. Why would he be left alone to find a hidden train station in the first place if not to find us and let my family show him the way? Maybe I'm just reading too much into this, but I'm starting to question everything that's happened between the two of us and it's driving me crazy.

A week before I left for Hogwarts, I was approached by Dumbledore near the lake of our house about possibly seeing Harry once more before the school year started. I couldn't possibly face Harry in the current distressed mood I was feeling, so I declined the offer. The headmaster was indeed surprised at my answer, but my decision was for the greater good. Until I could find the answers that I was looking for, I would feel uncomfortable around Harry and possibly even make him uneasy around me.

I'm only eleven years old and already I'm dealing with problems that most adults don't ever handle within one lifetime. Horray for me.

Speaking of adults, it's becoming insanely hard to not yell at my parents on a daily basis. I hate them for everything they put me through, I hate that they're stealing Harry's money, and worst of all, I hate that they purposely refuse to let me contact him. This is not what I would ever want with Harry. A relationship starting on the grounds of a forced marriage is wrong. At least for me and Harry anyways. I think my parents could tell I was becoming colder towards them, and on more than one occasion I was sent to my room and/or grounded. Of course, I would be punished for something minuscule when it is they who are in the wrong here. I never asked to be in this damn contract and neither did Harry. Whatever the reason this contracted was drafted in the first place is meaningless to me. Thankfully being grounded in my room meant I spent more time away from Mum and Dad so I couldn't complain too much.

I only wished that time would speed up dramatically so that I can escape The Burrow for a year. I have no intention of returning for Christmas, as I'm sure, all of our gifts will be bought with Harry's money. I'll probably just throw mine out of the towers of Hogwarts and hope they break as they fall hundreds of stories below. The only source of comfort I could receive was from the diary that the mysterious man in the alley had given me on my birthday. I quickly discovered that he was right: this is no ordinary diary. The book had a conscious mind inside and had become my shoulder to cry on. If only I could find that mysterious man again, I would give him a lot more thanks than I did earlier.

I eventually learned that the speaker within the diary is named Tom Marvolo Riddle, the same name as the one on the back cover. It seemed scary at first because I was speaking to someone I couldn't see. Then there's the fact that whenever I write into the diary, the ink disappears and is gone. I thought at first that it bled to the other side, but no. Tom apparently absorbed the ink and replied back just as quickly. It was strange, but I got over it quickly. I feel like he's my only friend at home. Speaking of, Tom and I have become great friends. I remember once Dad saying something about not trusting anything where you cant see its face. What a load of hogwash. My father obviously never knew about Tom at all, and if he did, I imagine he would be singing a different tune right about now.

Anyway back to Tom. I can't believe how easy it is to talk to him. He never pushes me, interrogates me like my parents do, or even judges me at all. He's kind, understanding, and a great person to unload problems onto. I feel bad that I can't do anything special for him since he's a book and all, but I feel if he was human I would be eternally grateful for him helping me the rest of this summer.

 **Want to know something that's been bothering me lately? No? Well too bad. I'm going to tell you anyway.**

Since my birthday, Harry has not been in contact with me. What happened? Did he realize what a loser I was or something? Did he suddenly think I was just as prejudiced as Mum when it came to Slytherins? Not even Harry was able to do as much as Tom, and that surprised me. Wasn't Harry supposed to be there for me anyway? I found his lack of communication the last few weeks of the summer disturbing. Who does he think he is? Since we can communicate a lot easier than before with assistance from Hedwig, and sometimes Fawkes, you'd think he would jump at the chance to talk to me. But no of course not. What a selfish prat. Maybe I'll rant about Harry **BLOODY** Potter again to Tom later tonight. That's right. I'm back to calling his middle name **BLOODY** instead of James. I only hope Tom doesn't get too annoyed at me because I've been upset with Harry for a while now.

* * *

 **September 1st, 1992.**

We barely made it to the station. Again. What else is new? Mum and Dad just have to leave at the last possible second, don't they? Whatever. It's Ron's fault anyway. If that blockhead wasn't so unorganized and would just pack the night before, we wouldn't be so stressed for time. I swear his antics are growing more annoying as of late. I'm done getting crap from him, and if he pushes me this year, he's going to be in for a rude surprise. My brothers and I waved goodbye to our parents, even though I had an obvious scowl on my face, and we made our way through the Hogwarts Express to find some seats.

Once the train began to leave, I found myself abandoned by my brothers and I headed off to an empty compartment on the train. Luckily for me, I was able to find one in a few minutes that was near the back and had no one in it. I was secluded, alone, and was not going to be bothered by anyone ... or at least I hoped so. During this time I tried to calm myself down because I was feeling frantic about seeing Harry again. If I'm going to be honest with myself, I feel I would explode right now if I saw him. I thought he cared about me dammit! Tom is my only friend now. Who needs Harry anyway? I stayed in the compartment for about an hour when I was approached by someone I hadn't seen before.

She was already sorted into a house (Slytherin to be exact because of the uniform she was wearing), and had bushy hair that seemed to almost go down past her shoulders. I also noticed she had a book bag with her and a book under her arm that seemed massive in comparison to her size. The girl opened the door and asked if she could come inside. I really wanted to say no. I was already in a foul mood thanks to Mum and Dad, Ron's overwhelming incompetence, and Harry being a gigantic prat, but I decided against my better judgment to let the girl come in.

"Thank you for letting me sit with you. Everywhere else was getting quite full."

"It's fine." I said while being a bit irritated by her presence.

"Well, thanks again. I must admit I was a little worried to ask you though." The girl replied.

"Why?" I asked.

"I believe we have a mutual friend between the both of us and I wanted to properly introduce myself just in case it's you. My name is Hermione Granger." Hermione said as she extended her hand out to me.

"Wait. You're Hermione Granger? The same Hermione Granger that's Harry's best friend?" I asked with some emphasis on her name.

Now that I had finally met her, I wouldn't waste any time letting Hermione know how I felt about her. Harry mentioned this girl several times in his letters, and in person. He would always say just how great she was, and that she was his only friend at school. I was always jealous when the conversations we had steered towards this bushy brained know it all. I wanted to scream every time. Who could honestly be friends with this freak of nature? Being around this bitch was driving my anger towards new levels I never thought was possible.

"Yes, that's me. Is there something wrong?" Hermione asked. She dropped her hand after realizing I wouldn't take it.

 ** _"This is your moment. Seize it and don't look back."_** _said Tom._

"Yes. Yes, there is actually. I've wanted to ask you how it is you can look yourself in the mirror every day?" I questioned while still being angry.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked. It looked like a struck a nerve because her face turned sour real fast.

"I know all about the deal you and my brother Ron had made with Dumbledore in regards to being Harry's fake friends. How could you do that to him? Also what kind of moron makes a deal with Dumbledore anyway?" I asked.

"You know about that?" Hermione asked with a lot of fear. She was so surprised that she dropped her massive book and had to sit down to catch herself from falling over.

"Even though I know you and my brother don't get along, it was he who spilled the beans about your pact. Don't worry though because it was all written down in a letter that was destroyed sometime later. Your secret is still safe you bitch. I should kick the crap out of you right now, but you have answers I need." I exclaimed and then took a moment to collect my thoughts on what I was going to say next.

"The only thing I want to know, Granger, is whether or not you are truly Harry's friend. So are you, or is another long con formulated by Dumbledore?" I venomously asked.

Hermione didn't waste any time in responding to my question.

"I truly am his friend. At first, this was a con to get Harry to trust Dumbledore using Ron and myself as anchors, but everything changed when Harry and I went into Slytherin. Dumbledore dropped the plan immediately and Ron became a terror to be around. I wish I could go back and undo everything I did in regards to that deal, but it doesn't change anything. I still accepted the deal. The only thing I can do now is hope that Harry never finds out and will continue to trust me as a friend."

"Why did you even do this in the first place?"

Hermione didn't answer. Maybe she was embarrassed or it had something to do with her being a muggle-born? That's all I could really think of until it hit me. Hermione needed something and the only way she could get it was if she became Harry's friend. Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard alive so surely he could get Hermione and Ron anything they wanted. I had to wonder what kind of payment Hermione would have received from something like this, so I decided to ask her aloud.

"Oh, I see. The silent treatment huh, Granger? What exactly were you promised for doing this deal?" I asked.

The bushy haired girl glared at me with hatred in her eyes before speaking.

"Mind your own business." Hermione muttered bitterly. "So I would be correct in assuming that Ginny Weasley is your name right?"

I nodded but still looked mad at her.

"Since you think you're so high and mighty, why don't we discuss something I've wanted to ask you for such a long time. Why did you make Harry suffer last year? Do you even realize how much you hurt him?" She asked me.

 ** _She had no right to ask you that. Make her pay!_**

"My circumstance regarding that issue won't be explained to you, Granger. You can judge me all you want, but what you did was way worse. I should tell Harry what you and my moronic brother tried to do. Then we'll see if he wants to be your friend." I jabbed at her.

"So let me get this straight. You expect me to come forward with what I've done and admit to you I was wrong, but when I try the same thing, you can't handle it? Typical." Hermione said.

I then decided it was too much to continue sitting in the same room as her so I began gathering my things and was about to leave when she grabbed my arm.

"I'm not through talking you, Ginny." Hermione angrily stated.

"I don't have to listen to you whatsoever! So leave me alone!" I screamed whilst wriggling my arm out of her hand. I then opened the door and was about to leave when Hermione spoke to me again.

"It's because Harry and I are in Slytherin right? That's why you stopped talking to him. You're just like your brother Ronald. Stupid, ignorant, and biggoted. You claim I'm a bitch, but who's the bigger one here?" Hermione shouted.

 ** _She knows nothing of what you went through. The only way to deal with the likes of her is to put that girl in her place._**

"That is not true at all! I have no ill regards to the Slytherins. You don't know what you're talking about!" I screamed at her.

I wondered, how many people heard me scream at Hermione from down the hall of the train? Hermione then closed the door and got close to me.

"Admit it, Ginny. You're prejudiced against me, and everyone else in Slytherin house, because of who was in it before and what they did. Please don't think that way, Ginny. I can promise you that not all Slytherins are bad, but I can't promise that all other houses are always good. Unfortunately, you'll see what I mean when you're sorted. I just hope that you'll end up with Harry and I so you can find out for yourself." Hermione stated.

I could tell she was trying to understand what I was feeling and hopefully try to turn things around. Yeah right. Like I was going to let her get the upper hand in this conversation. She started this mess long before we even talked, so I will deliver the final blow.

 ** _That's the spirit, Ginny_** ** _. Let her have it!_**

"You know what, Granger? You're right! Slytherins are evil vile wizards and witches that always turn out bad. Being put into that house of snake worshippers is proof of your black-hearted nature. You'll never be accepted anywhere because of the house you were sorted into unless the place in question has some affiliation with a madman who kills those of inferior blood." I jabbed at her again.

A second later I heard a small gasp escape someone's mouth. I knew it wasn't Hermione because I was staring at her the entire time and she didn't make a sound. I then turned my head to the door and found that there was someone else near Hermione and me with the door open.

"Harry ... No, I didn't mean it! This is not how I really feel! I just wanted ..." I started saying but couldn't finish because I was cut off.

"Why would you say that, Ginny? How could you say that to Hermione?" Harry asked me with some hurt in his voice.

"I'm so sorry! Please believe me when I say that I don't believe that Slytherins are bad!" I wailed. I attempted to come near him but he moved back away from me.

"That's not what you just said to me. You said I wouldn't be accepted anywhere because of me being placed in a house full of _"snake worshippers"_. Also when I asked you if you were prejudiced against me, because of where I ended up, you wasted no time in proving my point by badmouthing me, and consequently Harry. Let's also not forget you called me a bitch a few moments ago." Hermione said while sneering at me.

All I could do is glare at Hermione with intense hatred. If Harry wasn't here then I would have jumped on her and beat her senseless until I felt she had enough.

 ** _That girl needs to be dealt with. No one deserves to talk to you like that._**

Suddenly I realized what I was thinking and had an instant epiphany.

 _"What's going on? This isn't me. Why am I acting this way? I don't know what's gotten into me today but I don't like it. Maybe I can try to apologize to Hermione once I've calmed down."_ I thought.

 ** _Nonsense. You are acting this way because it's the right thing to do. There is no reason to question yourself because Hermione deserved every last thing you said. She betrayed Harry, and would have probably betrayed you if given the chance. There's only one good use for people like her._**

"So you really think Hermione and I are snake worshipers huh?" Harry asked while bringing me back to the present.

"No! No, it's just ..." I said but couldn't finish because I was cut off again.

"You think I'm black-hearted too don't you? Do you think I want to be associated with the house who chose the one man responsible for killing my parents? Do you?!" Harry shouted at me.

"Harry, please! Please forgive me. I'm sorry! I ..."

"I can't believe you would say those things to not only me but Hermione as well. She's the only friend I've had here at Hogwarts and **YES** she's is in Slytherin like me! Also, you better apologize for calling Hermione a bitch. She's ten times the person you'll ever be!" Harry said.

The anger in his eyes was spilling out in front of me. I had never seen Harry mad before and this was not something I wanted to repeat again. It was terrifying, to say the least.

 ** _Stand up to him! How dare he yell at you, when Hermione is the one at fault here? Be the true aggressor, Ginevra!_**

"You think she's your friend Harry? Just ask her what she and my brother Ron almost did to you last year! Then you'll see how much of a friend she is!"

Hermione's eyes bulged out of her sockets at my statement.

 ** _Too bad they didn't fall out on to the floor and leave her permanently blind._**

"I don't want to hear any of your lies, Ginny! If you can't accept that she's my friend and still believe we're both dark wizards, then we shouldn't be friends!" Harry yelled at me.

If I had taken more time to calm down and approach the situation rationally then I would have continued to beg Harry's forgiveness, apologize to Hermione, and then try to start things over with her. Unfortunately, that's not what happened whatsoever. I unleashed my held in anger towards my beloved and let him have it all.

"Oh like you haven't been telling me lies too, Harry? You claimed to be my friend and write to me. But where were you when I was upset and needed a friend? Where were you when my Mum made me cry? Where were you when my brothers were picking on me? You claim I'm a bad person? Fine. If you don't want me to be your friend, then I won't! Get out of my compartment! I don't want to see you or your nasty friend ever again!" I screamed back at Harry.

 ** _You've done well. That boy was obviously not someone you could consider a friend. He's nothing but trouble._**

Harry then stormed out of the compartment, slammed the door behind him, and headed off in a different direction. Hermione stayed where she was unfortunately and continued to speak to me.

"I can't believe he likes you. You're nothing like what he said you were! I'm starting to wonder if anyone in this world isn't prejudiced against all Slytherins. It's because of people like you that makes our society so close-minded." Hermione stated to me.

Hermione then got up from her seat on the train and opened the door. Just as she was about to leave, the Slytherin girl decided to say one last thing to me.

"I meant what I said earlier you know. You'll never know how much you hurt Harry from last year. I hope you wake up one day and realize what kind of person you're becoming, but I'm afraid it may be too late by that point."

Hermione then came forward towards me and slapped me across the face.

"What was that for?" I asked in anger.

"That's for how you treated Harry just moments ago. You can badmouth me all you want, but I won't stand for you talking about him that way."

I looked back at her with death wishing eyes and repeated my statement earlier.

"Get out of my compartment!"

Hermione then finally left and presumably went off to find Harry or whatever. I didn't care.

 ** _It's not like either one of those two were ever good-natured by being in Slytherin. They were just going to turn on you. It's better this way that you're not friends with them._**

 _"Oh no there it is again! Why am I being so cruel? I was never like this before and for some reason, I seem to not be myself today. I am probably just tired or something. Yeah. I need some rest."_ I thought.

Without giving a care any longer, I drifted off to sleep and tried to put the current incident behind me.

* * *

 **Diary Entry: Evening of** **September 1st**

 _Hello Tom. I need to talk to you._

 ** _Hello, Ginevra. I assumed you wouldn't write to me until tomorrow. How is everything?_**

 _It's terrible Tom. I really could use a friend right now. Also please call me Ginny. You know I don't like my real name._

 ** _Oh? What about Harry? Did you try talking to him? Also my apologies. I will try to call you by your preferred name from now on._**

 _Thank you, Tom. I can't talk to Harry because he's part of the problem, Tom. Normally I would talk to him but Harry and I are not on the best of terms right now. We yelled at each other, and now we aren't friends._

 ** _Oh my. That's terrible, Ginny. Do you want to talk about it?_**

 _I can't. I don't want you to leave me alone either._

 ** _You can trust me, Ginny. Whatever is written down will always be between us and nothing more._**

 _Ok. I trust you, Tom. Thank you._ _Ever since I've gotten ahold of you it's been a huge blessing. I've had someone to talk to about this marriage contract I'm involved with Harry Potter, and the guilt that is constantly paining me. I still cannot believe that my parents only did this for his money._ _I figured I could let this go and not let the guilt consume me, but I was wrong. I can't tell him, Tom. I'm so afraid of what he will say when he finds out. I know he doesn't want the fame and fortune that is associated with his name. He's even mentioned stories about how Dumbledore had to keep the press away from him because he's so famous._ _To me Harry's fame means nothing; I care about the boy I have grown to know instead of what the public thinks of him. That's why it's so hard for me to think about what I did to him today._

 _I hurt him today, Tom. I crushed his soul. I tore out his heart and stomped on it into a hundred pieces. I did all of these things and more when I told him that I never wanted to see him again on the Hogwarts Express. I called his friend, Hermione, a bitch, and accused Harry of not caring about me this past summer._ _I can't believe I did that to him, Tom. Is there something wrong with me? I never wanted to hurt him. The haunting look on his face spoke volumes to me and showed how much he was suffering._

 _I like him very much and wanted to marry him even if this contract didn't exist. Why did I do this to him, Tom? Why?_

 ** _Ginny, listen to me. You have done nothing wrong. Harry was going to abandon you when he discovered this contract anyway and why it was made in the first place._** ** _I for one am proud of what you did. Harry would have just torn your heart out and done so much worse to you. Besides, Harry may not have felt something for you if this contract wasn't in place. I can sense he's as dense as the rest of the males in this school. Isn't being away from Harry a better solution to your problems?_**

 _I don't know Tom. I deeply care for Harry, and I want to be with him always, but I can't be around him knowing that my parents doomed any possible relationship with him from the beginning._

 ** _Just give it time my dear. It's good that you both did not end up in the same house as that would have been stressful and damaging to your well being. Congratulations on making Gryffindor by the way._**

 _Thank you, Tom. I must admit I was scared when the Sorting Hat was torn between putting me in Gryffindor or Slytherin. I would have liked to go to either house, but since Harry and Hermione are in Slytherin, I asked the hat to put me in Gryffindor. I'm glad I have you in my life. You're always there to talk to when I need you._

 ** _Of course, Ginny. I will always be here for you and will always take care of you. Now, I want to show you something that may cheer you up. Is that okay?_**

 _Yes, it's fine. How can you achieve this though? You're just a diary._

 ** _Just relax your mind and all will be well my dear. Relax ... and all will be well._**

 _... but ... but I ..._

 ** _Relax dear child ... peacefully sleep ... and let me take over your mind._**

* * *

 **Diary Entry:** **November 20th**

 _You were right all along, Tom. I shouldn't have been Harry's friend in the first place._

 ** _Oh? How so Ginny?_**

 _He won't leave me alone Tom. He's constantly trying to talk to me and hopefully rekindle what we once had. I won't stoop that low however because there have been many things going on the last few weeks._ _Let's recap shall we? There are the incidents going around that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened by the Heir of Slytherin and everyone knows it's Harry. How could the Heir not be him when he spoke to that snake at the dueling club match with Draco Malfoy?_ _I know it's him, Tom. Harry is evil and is trying to take over the school. I can't believe I'm even saying this, but my mother was right about Harry being dark all along. I'm just frustrated with myself for not going to the professors and telling them what I know about Harry._

 ** _Do not worry child. Harry will get what's coming to him. Has he done anything else to anger you, my dear?_**

 _Yes. Today was the final straw, Tom. After dinner, he dragged me over to the nearest broom closet and tried to explain everything to me, but I wouldn't let him because I hexed Harry before he could speak._ _He must have been crazy to think that I would believe his lies when the whole school knows it's him doing this to everyone. Well, almost the whole school. His only friend, Hermione Granger, has stuck by him and defended him. If she really was smart, she would leave Harry too._ _You believe me right, Tom? You know as well as I that Harry is the Heir of Slytherin!_

 ** _Yes I believe you. I think he must be dealt with, Ginny. I'm very proud of you for coming forward with this information to me. For now, we must let Harry remain where he is. If he were to figure out what is going on, then this would ruin everything!_**

 _Huh? What do you mean Tom?_

 ** _Nothing my child. Nothing at all. Now I need you to do something for me again. I promise it will not take long._**

 _I don't know Tom. The last time I tried doing something for you, I woke up the next morning and couldn't remember what had happened the night before._

 ** _You WILL do what I say, Ginny Weasley. Now go to the abandoned girl's bathroom and we will continue where we left off from last time._**

 _I can't Tom. I have a lot of things to do tonight. Plus I shouldn't be doing this anyway. It just feels wrong._

 ** _You don't have a choice, Ginny. Now go to the girl's bathroom._**

 _Yes ... yes, Tom ... I will go to the girl's bathroom now._

 ** _That's a good girl. Now move along. Time is of the essence._**

* * *

 **Diary Entry:** **December 8th**

 ** _There is no cause for alarm Ginny. What we are doing is purely beneficial for the strengthening of wizards and witches for the future. You must believe me._**

 _This isn't right, Tom. After discovering another petrified student last night, I lost my memory again and I think it's because you're making it so. I do not approve of this at all. What are you trying to hide from me?_

 ** _I have nothing to hide from you, Ginny. I know all your secrets and you know all of mine. The only thing you should concern yourself with are the mid-term exams that are coming up very soon._**

 _But ... what about the petrifying attacks? What do we need to do?_

 ** _There is nothing we can do Ginny. Besides, what can a first-year do anyways against a creature that causes those to perish after looking at its gaze?_**

 _Wait. What did you say? A creature that kills people? What is going on, Tom?_

 ** _Nothing my dear child. Now return to your studies._**

 _Answer the question, Tom. What creature kills people with a gaze?_

 ** _Do not question me, child. Go back to your studies and forget we had this conversation. Obey me, Ginny._**

 _Yes, Tom._

* * *

During the Christmas holidays, I noticed that things seemed much bleaker and depressing than what I had ever experienced before. The corridors were lifeless and the colors in the Gryffindor common room were losing their vibrant shade of reds and golds to me. Most of the children had gone home for the holidays, but unfortunately us Weasley kids were forced to stay behind this year because Mum and Dad were going to visit Charlie once again but this time with my oldest brother Bill. Even Percy got to go! What kind of logic does that make?

Then there was Harry. Of course, he wouldn't go home to those muggles who hate him so the only place left to linger was the castle itself. We, unfortunately, saw one another a lot because there's not a lot of people who stayed behind for the holidays, but that doesn't mean we talked. I was starting to feel bad about what I had said to Tom earlier about Harry being an evil person, but I wasn't going to admit I was wrong to him. It's just my stubbornness I'm afraid. Whenever we did see each other, it was merely in passing down the halls, or he would look in a direction and unfortunately see me or vice versa. I couldn't imagine what Harry was thinking when he wanted to try and mend our friendship, but it was not my concern any longer. I dug myself into this hole and it's too hard to climb out of my mistakes.

 **I don't feel like talking about this anymore. Let's move onto something more surprising like the fact that Ron and I are doing much better now.**

So far this year, I had slowly been able to rekindle the relationship I once had with my brother Ron. We actually talk to each other quite well now and ... I'm satisfied ... I guess. The beginning of this year was kind of strange for both of us. I could tell Ron was proud of me for becoming another Weasley in Gryffindor, but it was only a moment of temporary happiness that I received from him. As time went on, and he noticed that I distanced myself from Harry, and subsequently Hermione, Ron became friendlier towards me and even asked me to hang out with him like before.

Then, around a month ago, Ron finally apologized for his harsh treatment of me from the last few months and not writing all year. He was afraid that I, of all people, would judge him because he is not as gifted academically as everyone else in the family (with the exception of the twins), so he decided to be harsh towards me so it would seem like I was none the wiser of his grades. While I don't approve of my brother's methods, I felt a great burden lift off of me for the first time in months. I have to admit that if I did turn out to be in another house but Gryffindor, then it would have been almost impossible for Ron and I to be on good terms again.

On Christmas Day I was surprised because there were a few presents for me at the foot of my bed and they were all from Harry. I could tell they were from him because he told me once that he always had trouble with wrapping presents even though the Dursleys made him do it every single year. I wanted to open them up but it didn't feel right to me. Right now Harry and I are not friends and to receive gifts from someone who's not a friend is weird. I decided to put them away and open them up whenever Harry and I became friends again. If we ever did.

Even though I didn't open his gifts, I was still touched he got me some things. I didn't give him anything because we were fighting, but being the noble guy that he is, Harry still bought me gifts regardless. It's best that we aren't friends right now because if we were then I'd give him something truly special for treating me like a princess ... and that just ... sickens me.

 **I realize there's something wrong with this scenario. This isn't me at all and I wish it would stop. That's all I'm going to say.**

I shrugged these thoughts from my mind and just headed down the stairs to open gifts with Ron, Fred, and George.

* * *

 **Diary Entry:** **January 15th**

 ** _So you thought you could get rid of me, my dear child? You should know that throwing me into the fire will not destroy me. Now I will make you suffer dearly for betraying me!_**

 _No Tom, please. I'm sorry! I don't want to keep doing these favors for you! I can't remember anything after I help you and I'm always somewhere I shouldn't be! Can't we go back to the way things were and just be friends again?_

 ** _It's too late for that you pathetic little girl. You must be punished for trying to hurt me. Now do as I say or I will hurt the one you care for most. That's right Ginny. I will hurt Harry Potter. The boy who has captured your heart._**

 _You're ... you're wrong Tom. I don't care for him at all._

 ** _I can see through your lies, Ginny. Your brain may say one thing but I know what lies within your heart. Now do as I say or Potter will be punished._**

 _No! Please don't hurt him, Tom! I swear I haven't said anything to him about you so that means you shouldn't have to hurt him!_

 ** _Why would you care anyway? Didn't you tell me months ago that Harry is the Heir of Slytherin and is evil? Don't you feel the same way?_**

 _Yes, I did, but I wasn't thinking clearly. I was a fool to ever think my friend was the Heir of Slytherin._

 ** _Friend? He is no friend of yours Ginny. That boy wants to cause you pain and misery. I am your only friend now you silly little girl. Now go back to the abandoned girls bathroom again. We must continue our noble efforts to cleanse the school!_**

 _No ... please ... I can't ..._

 ** _You can and you will Ginevra Weasley._**

 _... yes ... I can ... No! No, I won't!_

 ** _Go to the girls bathroom! Go at once you weak minded fool! Ha ha ha!_**

 _Yes ... Tom. I will ... go to the bathroom now._

 ** _Excellent my dear._**

* * *

 **Morning of** **April 22nd**

Something horrible happened yesterday night. It can't be a coincidence that I lost my memory again last night and now I cannot shake this feeling that something is wrong. As I woke up this morning and headed into the Great Hall for breakfast, I could see Harry was alone at the Slytherin table and … was alone? That's not normal. Usually, Hermione was there right next to him, but today she was missing. I tried to shrug off my concerns because it's none of my business anyways, even though it was all my fault that Harry and I are not friends.

Just as breakfast was ending, Dumbledore took the stand at the Great Hall and pronounced that another attack transpired last night. Oh no. Not again! Who could it be this time? First, it was Mrs. Norris, then Colin Creevy from my house, and then Justin Fletchley from Hufflepuff. I only hope it was Draco Malfoy. I'm so sick of that thick headed blonde bastard. I could kick his teeth in every single time I see him and not flinch at his pain once.

I swore. Wow. This really is not like me at all. I must be on edge for waiting to discover the identity of the latest victim.

"The latest student to be attacked was none other than a second year in Slytherin house named Hermione Granger. As I understand it, Miss Granger was ..." Dumbledore stated but I stopped listening after he announced it was Hermione. As everyone around me began gasping and whispering, I zoned off into my own world and soon it was just me thinking of this entire situation.

My eyes grew to the size of saucers and I looked over to see what was happening to Harry. I think he was in complete shock because his mouth was open and didn't have anything to say on the matter. I could tell that Harry wanted to see Hermione immediately because as soon as Dumbledore was done speaking to the students in the Great Hall, he went up to he headmaster and begged, and I literally do mean begged, to see her. I moved closer to hear what was being said.

"Harry, you cannot see her right now. Hermione is in a very delicate state because of the attack. We cannot allow visitors until tonight." Dumbledore said.

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH PROFESSOR! I DEMAND TO SEE HER NOW!" Harry yelled. Good thing the other students were nearly gone and not many people heard him scream at Dumbledore.

"I assure you, Mr. Potter, that Miss Granger is in the best of care and you will be able to see her tonight after classes are over." Dumbledore calmly told Harry.

The old man then looked over to the greasy potions master and asked him to escort Harry to class. Snape obliged willingly and as the two of them walked by me, I could see tears falling down Harry's face.

"Out of my way, Weasley." Snape grunted as he headed out the door with Harry.

I was almost knocked over by that useless excuse for a teacher and was asked by Professor McGonagall why I was still in the Great Hall.

"Is it really true Professor? Was Hermione Granger attacked?" I asked. I may have no love for the girl, but Harry does. So some part of me does care for her safety.

"I'm afraid it's true, Miss Weasley. Do you want to see her as well tonight?" McGonagall asked.

I nodded and was then told to head to the Hospital Wing tonight at 8 PM. I would meet Harry there and together we could see Hermione.

* * *

 **Evening of** **April 22nd**

Dinner was finally over and I could now make my way over to the Hospital Wing with Harry. Well, I would meet him there anyways. I think he ate dinner extremely quickly so he could try and see Hermione earlier because I didn't see him at the dinner table. I got up from my seat and started to leave when I was asked by Ron where I was going.

"To the Hospital Wing. I wanted to see how Hermione was doing. Why?" I asked Ron.

"What? Hermione? Why in the world would you want to see that bookworm anyhow? Also don't you know that she's a statue right now? Seeing her won't make a difference because she's going to be motionless until the antidote is made anyways!" Ron exclaimed.

"I'm seeing her because I feel bad Ron. I am sorry for what happened and want to see if she's ok!" I sneered at him. "Try to have some compassion while you're at it you block head!"

"Wha? Bluhed? Tha ru Ginny!" Ron said with his mouth full.

I sighed in frustration and walked away from my idiotic brother. I don't care what his dim witted mind has to say about Hermione, I'm seeing her. This is also my chance to try and fix things with Harry as well since we haven't been close at all this entire year. A few minutes later I made my way to the Hospital Wing and Harry was not outside the doors. I guess he's inside already. I opened the doors and made my way to the back area where the other victims of the attacks were being held. It only took me seconds to find Harry because he was the only one in the room. I walked closer to him and I started to make out what he was saying to Hermione.

"Hermione, please wake up! I can't believe this happened to you. I need you here Hermione. You're my only friend and I ..." Harry said but stopped when he heard me coming up behind him. He turned around and then questioned me.

"What are you doing here?" Harry coldly asked me.

"I ... I came to see how Hermione is." I truthfully answered.

I was a little afraid to speak because Harry's demeanor was terrifying. He was extremely upset that Hermione was attacked and it was evident all over.

"Why do you care? Like you said she's a snake worshiper and follows the teachings of Voldemort. She's obviously evil and therefore should get whatever is coming to her right?" Harry sarcastically answered to me.

"Harry I wanted to apologize for..." I started but was cut off. I'm really going to need to have a talk with Harry about cutting people off mid-sentence.

"Save it. Like I told you earlier on the train, I don't want to hear your lies! Why would you try to make things better now anyways? I've tried all year to make our relationship back to the way it was, but you never cared. You would always blow me off, call me a liar, and then tell me to get away from you!" Harry shouted at me.

I couldn't speak because I was so scared. I've never seen Harry this hurt before and I know I'm entirely to blame. It seems that Hermione was right all along: I would never know how much I've hurt him. If seeing Hermione like this got him this rilled up then I can't imagine what he was going through when I stopped talking to him.

"By the way, I don't care how many times your brother and his friends try to insult me because it's nothing compared to the mental abuse he gives Hermione. I won't stand for it any longer, especially since she is petrified!" Harry said.

"Wait. Ron has been insulting you again? He told me he stopped! I wasn't aware of this! I swear I didn't know!" I truthfully answered.

"Yeah right. You're just here to rub it in that Hermione is now petrified and that there's potentially one less Slytherin in the world!" He icily stated.

"Harry if you would just listen to me then I could explain everything! I'm so so sorry about everything that happened on the train! I don't know if you'll believe me but there's a reason why I've been acting so differently this year and it's because ... because of ... this whole thing is because of ..." I tried to explain.

Why couldn't I expose Tom? Maybe it was impossible for me to do so since he had a hold on me. I have to find some way to break this connection between me and him! It's the only way for me to prove to Harry that there has been something weird going on this year.

"You honestly expect me to believe you've been acting out because of something? I cannot believe you would lie so much just to get into my good graces! You already destroyed that possibility of us being friends again when I tried to reach out to you. You ignored me, called me a liar, and even insulted me and Hermione about being in Slytherin! GET OUT OF HERE GINNY!" Harry screamed at me.

I deserved whatever Harry threw at me. I knew he was grieving about Hermione and was still mad at me for not trying to fix anything between us. I didn't want to get yelled at him again so I ran out of the Hospital Wing and sprinted all the way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. When I finally made it to my bed I threw myself on it and began crying hysterically. My other roommates asked what happened but I told them to back off and go away. About an hour later I decided that something needed to be done about my friendship with Harry and ... maybe Hermione. I needed to show him that I cared, and to start, I would get rid of this infernal diary once and for all.

* * *

 **Diary Entry:** **April 23rd**

 ** _Try as you may Ginny, but I will always come back to you. Did you really think getting rid of me in the girls bathroom would break our connection? You are foolish to think so you stupid girl._**

 _I have to get rid of you, Tom! I can't believe I didn't realize it before. How could I have been so blind? I'm the Heir of Slytherin aren't I Tom? I'm the one who's hurting all those muggle-borns!_

 ** _You are no Heir of Slytherin, you imbecile. I am the true Heir and it's because of me that makes all this possible. It's been an ingenious plan to get you, a mud-blood traitor witch, to go along with my plans of trying to wipe out all those who are unworthy to study magic._**

 _Hermione Granger is the newest petrified student here at Hogwarts, Tom. Was this on purpose? Did you make me go after her because of Harry's friendship with her?_

 ** _I don't care who is attacked, Ginevra. Hogwarts will never be clean unless we purge the school of these wretched muggle-borns!_**

 _I won't help you, Tom! This is wrong! I will go to the headmaster with this news!_

 ** _Oh really? Did you forget some time ago that if you were to go to the headmaster, or anyone else, that I would hurt your beloved Harry Potter? You are in no position to refuse my dear. Besides, you won't remember this little conversation we are having anyway. You knowing my plans is a liability that I cannot afford!_**

 _How is this possible, Tom? You're a diary and cannot do things like this!_

 ** _You forget dear child that I am more than an ordinary diary. It's too late for you to do anything now anyway. You have been bonded to me since the beginning and, as such, I can and will use your body to escape this wretched book. With the ritual complete, I will become mortal once more, and you will take my place inside the diary!_**

 _No! I don't want to become a diary! Please stop this Tom! You have to stop!_

 ** _Shut up, you pathetic little girl. You won't turn me in any way. Do you want to know why? If you really had the courage that a Gryffindor possessed then exposing me would be no problem. Instead, you cower before me and your weak mind obeys my commands! You really think you can break free of me? I'd like to see you try!_**

 _Stop it! Stop it, Tom! I won't be part of this anymore!_

 ** _Ha ha ha! You piece of filth! You are nothing in comparison to me! I knew from the start that a blood traitor girl like you would always be weak. Now release the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets once more! We must claim another victim!_**

 _NO! This ends now Tom!_

 ** _Try as you may little Weasley, but you will NEVER be free of me! Ha ha ha! Open the Chamber of Secrets, my slave! Another victim must be claimed in the name of Salazar Slytherin!_**

 _No ... I won't do this anymore, Tom!_

 _ **Ha ha ha. I love it when you try to resist me, Ginevra. Seeing you succumb to my influence is like drinking the sweetest of honey.** _

_You're sick, Tom. Go to hell you bastard!_

 ** _My my. Such foul language from a small child. I will have to teach you a lesson. Go to the Chamber of Secrets, NOW!_**

 _Yes, master. I will open the Chamber of Secrets._

 ** _Release the Basilisk upon the school, you mud-blood! It's time we purge this school at last._**

 _Yes, master. It will be done._

* * *

 **Diary Entry: June 10th**

 ** _This is it, my dear. The time has come for you to give yourself over to your master. With your life force, I will return to the living and destroy the mud-bloods of this world once and for all!_**

 _Yes, master._

 ** _Head down to the Chamber of Secrets at once! We must begin the ritual immediately!_**

 _Yes, master. It will be done._

* * *

My eyes began fluttering open slowly and I soon realized that I was not in my bed. The ground was made of stone and was wet from the water nearby that I could hear calmly swishing about. As my eyes finally adjusted to the light, I began to see the place I was in. It was dark, damp, smelled awful and had an outlining color of green everywhere. This was not a place I wanted to be in any longer. Suddenly a ton of questions hit me all at once.

 _Where was I? What was I doing? What happened? Can I get out of here?_ I thought.

I tried getting up but my body seemed to be in a lot of pain so I remained still for the time being. Suddenly a hand took in mine and I became frightened for who was near me. Thankfully this feeling did not last long.

"Ginny? Are you okay?" A voice asked. I could see now that Harry was near me and his clothes were bloody and even torn in some places.

"Harry? What's going on? What happened to you?

"It's okay, Ginny. It's over now and you're safe." Harry assured me. All this did though was cause me to become even more confused.

"Harry, what happened? Where are we?"

"Do you remember anything, Ginny?"

I shook my head in response and then started crying. I grabbed on to him and he returned the gesture through a hug.

"Well, it turns out that you were being possessed by the diary you owned and it caused you to become the Heir of Slytherin." Harry muttered.

"No! I would never do something like this! I would never …" I screamed at him but Harry proceeded to cut me off and try to calm me down.

"Ginny … Ginny! Stop! Look at me!" Harry exclaimed.

I did as he asked. My eyes stared at him with a direct pain that reached out for ages. Tears were free falling down my face and I did not try to stop them. Thankfully I was still being held by Harry and he pulled me in close in addition to rubbing my back a little. When I calmed down somewhat, I allowed Harry to continue.

"Ginny, I'm afraid it's true. You are the Heir of Slytherin. This means that you'll be expelled and probably have your wand snapped and thrown into Azkaban."

My eyes bulged out of my sockets. That was not what I was expecting to hear from Harry.

"I don't expect you to have an easy life, what with being in jail and all, but at least you'll be alive which is more than I can say about the petrified victims in the hospital wing! They were petrified for so long that they died, Ginny! They died!" Harry shouted.

"But it's not my fault! I was possessed by that damn diary! Tom made me do these things, Harry!" I wailed.

"So what? You really think anyone is going to believe you? Anyone could see it was you because of your family's hatred of the Slytherins!" He growled at me.

"Harry! Stop! ... this ... this isn't you!" I yelled while crying my eyes out in front of him.

"That's where you're wrong, Ginny. This is the real me! I wish I could say that it's been nice knowing you, but considering you have ignored me the past year and treated me like dirt, I'm glad you're leaving!"

"Harry please! I'm sorry! Please do something! Please help me!" I begged.

At that moment another figure came towards us and she sent shivers of horror down my spine in the worst way imaginable. It was Hermione and she looked like someone on the verge of death. Her skin was pure white and there were extremely dark circles around her eyes that pierced your soul every time you looked at them.

"You're only getting what you deserve, Ginny Weasley. You sent the basilisk after me! It's only fair that you be sent away to Azkaban forever!" she shrieked with hatred.

"Hermione, I am sorry I killed you! I never meant to do these things! It was Tom I swear!"

"LIAR! You're a liar and you've always been jealous of me! You're envious because I'm Harry's friend and you're not anymore! Well, guess what? In addition to being his friend, I'm his girlfriend too!" Hermione said whilst cackling with laughter at my misfortune.

"You ... you're wrong! I'm supposed to ... supposed to be ... IT'S NOT TRUE!"

The bushy haired girl laughed while shaking her head and Harry joined in with her.

"You've done this to yourself you pathetic girl, and now I will make you pay for the torment you put Harry through from this year AND the last!" Hermione threateningly stated.

I wasn't able to convince Harry or Hermione. The both of them headed closer and closer towards me. They were calling me the most hurtful things they could muster. I kept insisting that it wasn't my fault but it was no use. Their voices were coming from all around me and I was being suffocated by them. I couldn't breathe. I closed my eyes to try and block some of the pain around me. The room was spinning and I tried to crawl away but it caused me to fall into an endless pit of evil that kept swirling faster and faster with each passing moment.

I fell. I fell forever, and all the while I could not escape the sounds and horror around me. Suddenly I heard a voice that snapped me out of this nightmare.

"Ginny? Ginny, wake up. Please wake up!" The voice said.

My eyes finally opened and I realized now that what I was experiencing was a horrible dream. Like before in my dream, I was not in my bed but I wasn't in a dungeon looking cave either. I guess I must be in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. The voice that had awoken me belonged to Harry and I was thankful it was a familiar face.

"Harry? What happened? What's going on?" I weakly asked. My throat hurt beyond belief and I felt so weak, but I had to know what happened to me.

"Shush now. Don't talk Ginny. The healers said you'd be in a lot of pain and you strained your vocal cords because of screaming in your sleep. Just let me talk okay?" Harry asked.

I nodded. It was the only thing I could have done anyways.

"I'm so glad you're awake. I thought I'd lost you." Harry said while gripping one of my hands. I instantly felt better feeling his hand in mine, but then I remembered what happened a few months ago and I quickly took my hand back. Harry instantly noticed. "What's wrong Ginny?"

I couldn't say anything because I was still afraid of what was going to happen next. Would he yell at me again? Is this another dream and an undead Hermione would come out and haunt me? I just shook my head at Harry and he thankfully decided to move on.

"Do you remember what happened?" He asked.

I shook my head and listened to what Harry had to say. He then reached under my bed and pulled out a horrifically familiar book that I never wanted to see again. This time, however, the diary looked charred and had a massive hole in the middle of the cover that went all the way through the pages and to the back cover on the other side.

"You were possessed by this diary Ginny for almost the entire year. It caused you to do terrible things and almost kill a handful of students. When ..." Harry tried to say but he stopped when he saw that I was crying.

I couldn't help it. It was like I was reliving my nightmare all over again and Harry was about to tell me that my wand was to be snapped and I'd be taken to Azkaban Prison. I desperately did not want him to finish his statement and covered my eyes as quickly as I could.

"No no Ginny. Don't cry. It's not your fault and it never will be. Please listen and realize you didn't do anything wrong. It was all Tom Riddle's fault, not yours." He assured me.

"Don't … don't say his name, Harry! I can't stand hearing his name right now!" I almost shouted but my hoarse voice held me back.

"I'm sorry Ginny. I won't say it okay?" Harry stated. The only thing I could do was try to calm myself down. After a few deep breaths and a couple nods of my head, Harry continued with his story.

"When Ron and I saw the message on the wall that said _"her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever"_ we had to come find you."

"Wait! You and Ron? … You both tried to find me? … You two hate one another!" I managed to croak out.

"Well, we were fighting in one of the halls and then ended up seeing the message on the wall which led to us trying to save you. I actually think we may be friends now, but I'm not sure entirely on that." Harry said to me. "The other professors were trying to get Lockhart to take care of the monster, but he proved himself to be a gigantic fraud once Ron and I went down into the chamber. Lockhart instantly turned on us both and tried to … oblive? … oblivi? … (sigh) he tried to erase our minds but it backfired because he ended up using Ron's broken wand. So then Lockhart became a simpleton who can't remember anything for more than ten seconds at a time.

Unfortunately, the aftermath of the mind erasing failure caused the chamber to cave in around us. This act resulted in Ron and Lockhart being separated from me and I had to go on alone to find you. When I arrived, Tom Riddle explained what he was doing with your body and then summoned a gigantic Basilisk snake to try and kill me. Fortunately, Fawkes came in and scratched out the eyes of the beast which gave me a little bit of an advantage. He also delivered some kind of sword that I ended up using on the snake to kill it. Once I delivered the killing blow to the monster's brain through the top of his mouth, one of the fangs from the Basilisk stabbed me in the arm and began to poison me. I thankfully had enough consciousness to stab the diary repeatedly with the fang which caused Tom Riddle to explode. Fawkes then came over and healed most of the poison in my body with his tears and I tried to wake you up but it was impossible. The bird then gave us a lift out of the chamber, along with Lockhart and Ron, and then we carried you over to the Hospital Wing. That's all that happened." Harry said.

I was about to ask Harry what he meant by Fawkes almost curing all of the poison, but we were interrupted by the door to the Hospital Wing opening and Harry instantly disappeared underneath his cloak. I tried to tell him not to leave but it was probably for the best because I was greeted by parents.

"Ginny! Oh, my sweet girl, you're awake! Thank Godric you're safe!" Mum cried as she gripped me in one of her bone-crushing hugs.

"My baby girl is okay!" Dad exclaimed with joy. I soon felt him hug me next after Mum reluctantly let go.

"Ah, I am glad you're awake, Miss Weasley! We have some things to discuss!" Dumbledore stated. Apparently, he was behind my parents the entire time but I didn't notice until now.

My parents were originally against the idea of me answering questions immediately after I had woken up, but as Dumbledore continued to persuade them that it was best to get this over now, they eventually warmed up to the idea. Dumbledore asked me everything and I really do mean everything.

 _How long has Tom been possessing you? How did you get the diary? Were you aware of your actions during this time? Are you aware of who Tom Riddle really was? Do you remember much of your school year?_ and so on until he felt that enough was enough. I honestly don't remember my answers and will probably ask my parents, or Harry, as to what I said later. I thankfully couldn't take anymore and my parents, along with Dumbledore, left me to sleep in my bed. Mum and Dad said they would be back in a few hours and ordered me to sleep as much as I could. Once the door closed, Harry re-appeared from nowhere and started talking to me once again.

"Hey, Ginny."

"Hey …" I croaked. Man, my throat hurts a ton.

"Listen. I know you're tired and I am going to leave you for now, but I think we should talk about this later on. Okay?"

I nodded and allowed Harry to leave underneath his cloak once again. I heard him whisper goodbye to me, but I was tired from the events in the Chamber of Secrets and passed out instead. I knew there would be a lot of things that needed to be discussed between Harry and I, but thankfully this wouldn't happen until later. For now, I needed sleep and no one was going to deprive me of that.


	5. Chapter 5: Riddle, Dumbledore, & Granger

**Disclaimer:** This story is 100% Alternate Universe and most, if not all, of the characters in this story are out of character as well. Also I don't own anything by J.K. Rowling and I am not trying to steal her characters, plots, or moments within the books that she has written. This is my own story and I also claim to not copy off of anyone else's work either in the process.

Please note that throughout this story, the characters will occasionally break the fourth wall. These sections will be represented in **bold** lettering.

 **What Happened Previously:** Tom Riddle's influence over Ginny has increased. While under the influence, Ginny lashed out at Harry and Hermione on the train to Hogwarts, and the three decided to end any possible friendships. During the year, Ginny begins to realize something is not right with Tom Riddle but is thankfully saved by Harry in the Chamber of Secrets.

 **Last Updated:** **4/13/18**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Riddle, Dumbledore, and Granger**

 ** _(Ginny P.O.V.)_**

 **June 10th, 1993:**

As soon as Harry left the Hospital Wing, I drifted into a deep sleep in a matter of seconds. Not too long after, I soon found myself dreaming.

 _In my dream, I was surrounded by darkness and couldn't see anything around me. I frantically searched for my wand but it was to no avail. I had no idea where I was. The only clue to my whereabouts was that I was somewhere that was dark, cold, and wet because my feet would constantly walk into some water on the floor._ _Suddenly the area lit up like a Christmas tree and I could finally see a disturbingly familiar place that I never wanted to go back to. The long corridor that led to the statued head of Salazar Slytherin was surrounded by stone snakes on either side, and there was water everywhere I stepped._

 _My clothes became damp as I moved forward in the chamber. The water from the chamber was up to my ankles and I could feel the surprisingly warm water. The smell of death and decay lingered through the corridor, which made everything seem even scarier than before._ _I made my way over to one of the stone snakes and marveled at the impressive detail that was put into the architecture of the Chamber of Secrets. As I touched the fang on the snake made of stone, it suddenly came to life and hissed violently at me._

 _I screamed at the frightening realization in front of me and closed my eyes as I waited for the reptile to devour me. The hissing grew louder and I could feel the heated breath of the serpent near my face. Then, suddenly, there was nothing. After a few moments, I opened my eyes and saw that the snake returned to its normal stone appearance. I backed away from the snake statues and made my way back to the center of the Chamber of Secrets._

 _As I reached the end, I could see my lifeless body laid down on the chamber floor and began to scream. Even though I knew it was nothing but a dream, I couldn't help but scream at my own lifeless body. I tried to assure myself that this is only a dream, but everything looked and felt so real that it may be happening in the real world. After I calmed myself down I asked a question aloud._

 _"Is this what I looked like? Was I really this lifeless?" I asked aloud._

 _"Of course it's you, Ginevra. What did you expect to see?" A sinister voice said behind me. I turned to face my "guest" and knew who it was before I finally met his eyes._

 _"You don't scare me, Tom. You can't even come back thanks to Harry." I dismissively told him._

 _"Such a Gryffindor response. You believe only what is in front of you. You're always overlooking the bigger picture, when your kind only focuses on the minor details. Do you honestly believe I am dead? I am no ordinary being Ginevra, and can do things that no mere mortal can possibly achieve!" Tom hissed at me._

 _If he thought some proclamation about immortality was going to stir me then he was sorely mistaken._

 _"What else is there to see, Tom? You failed to sacrifice me, and the diary was destroyed. Any chance of you coming back is gone." I spat at him._

 _"Foolish girl. While I may not have a body yet, it is only a matter of time before my followers revive my flesh and bone. Once I have a vessel of flesh again, I will begin my reign upon this world and remake it in my own image. There will be no impure blooded wizards and witches, there will be no failure, there will be no mistakes, and there will be no more war once I, the true master of magic, takes his rightful place upon the throne of the world." Tom egotistically boasted._

 _"What makes you so confident, you racist bigot?_ _No one is capable of such feats except Albus Dumbledore, or did you forget that he is the most powerful wizard in the world?" I mocked at him. Tom's response was to laugh at me in his own mockery._

 _"I must say, I needed a good laugh, Ginevra. You have definitely provided me that over the last few months. Oh sure, it was fun stringing you along, but hearing your pathetic problems being poured into my subconscious, made me laugh hysterically."_

 _"You're one sick person, Tom."_

 _I guess he didn't hear me because the asshole kept laughing. After he finished mocking me, Tom's expression and tone turned deadly serious._

 _"Now listen here you insolent whelp._ _Dumbledore is nowhere near as powerful as I. Who else can cheat death and live to tell the tale? The world will tremble at my feet. My power is unmatched by any other, and I will prove it to you all. I will bring order, I will bring death, and I will bring power to those who choose to obey. While my true name is from my filthy muggle of a father, I chose to abandon it some time ago in order to be reborn. If you're still unclear as to who I really am, then perhaps this will enlighten you."_

 _With the grip of his wand, Tom waved it in the air and began writing a few words that were made of living fire. After he finished, I could see that Tom had spelled out his own name:_ _TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE_

 _"Now watch this, Ginevra. I am about to destroy the memory of Tom Marvolo Riddle forever."_

 _With the flick of his wrist, the letters of flame began to rearrange themselves into something else for me to decipher. Once they stopped moving, I could finally able to see what Tom was trying to reveal:_ _I AM LORD VOLDEMORT_

 _"You? ... You're VOLDEMORT?" I screamed in defiance._

 _"Surely you didn't think I could rule over all witches and wizards with such a weak birth name? No. I fashioned myself a new name. A name that all wizards would fear when I became the greatest sorcerer in the world! It's a shame that you won't be part of that world, Ginevra. Perhaps in a few years time, I could have had my way with you and kept you as my personal slave." Voldemort hissed at me._

 _I had shivers run down my spine in the worst way that I definitely did not enjoy. I am so glad this guy is dead. The thought of him touching me or abusing me would be a fate worse than death._

 _"Beast! Come to me!" Voldemort screamed as he turned his attention to the giant water basin at the end of the chamber._

 _Suddenly the giant Basilisk appeared from the water. It was just as I remembered it from just a few hours ago._

 _"Destroy the girl!" Voldemort hissed at the giant creature. "Goodbye, Ginevra. It's now time for you to die like the wretched filth that you are!"_

 _The Basilisk then left the realm of the water and slithered itself over to me. With its mighty jaw, the creature violently tried to bite down on me but missed. Fortunately, I am small was able to quickly get away from this behemoth. I began running away from the creature but he was just too fast for me._ _All too suddenly, the snake surrounded me and began to squeeze my body tighter and tighter until there seemed to be no air around me. I began screaming out for help as loud as I could. Voldemort's laughing and the hissing of the snake were the last sounds I heard until everything turned to black._

* * *

"Wake up, child! You're having a nightmare!" a voice said to me as I was being shaken awake.

I finally opened my eyes and found that I was back in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey was standing over me and checking my temperature.

"That must have been some dream. You were fidgeting for a couple of hours but only recently did it get worse. Your screaming caused quite a ruckus in here, but thankfully I was able to get you awake before the nightmare got worse."

I suddenly realized I was sweating profusely, and I felt cold. My clothes and bedsheets were also drenched in sweat from that horrific nightmare.

"Are you okay to move, Ginny?"

I was too scared to say anything, so I nodded in response. I was shaking a little from the dream, but I'm glad Madam Pomfrey didn't say anything if she even saw me shaking that is. I was escorted to the back area of the wing and received a change of clothes and a new bed. Madam Pomfrey gave me some privacy as I stood behind a changing curtain. I threw my drenched clothes into a hamper next to me and drained a little bit of sweat out of my long hair. I put on my new clothes, climbed into bed, and got comfy. That's when Madam Pomfrey started talking to me once again.

"Miss Weasley, I've never seen anyone have a nightmare as horrible as that. Would talking about it ease your mind?"

"Madam Pomfrey I need to ask you something. Is Tom Riddle really Voldemort?" I carefully asked.

"Is that what your dream was about?"

"Yes. It's as if I was experiencing what happened in the chamber all over again, but I could see everything Tom Riddle was doing."

"I see. This is something we should not discuss by ourselves, dear child. Perhaps this would be better if the headmaster were to come."

With the flick of her wand, Madam Pomfrey summoned a Patronus to send for Professor Dumbledore. About two minutes later, the old wizard arrived through the front doors.

"Poppy? Is something wrong? I got your message and came as soon as I could."

"Not exactly, Headmaster. Miss Weasley had a serious nightmare and she wanted to ask you some questions about it."

Dumbledore turned his attention to me. I could see he had a concerned look about him, but he looks that way most of the time around the school anyway. So who knows if he's actually worried about all of us here or not.

"Hello, Miss Weasley. How are you doing this evening, or perhaps I should say morning?" Dumbledore asked me.

"I'm not great, professor. I've just had the worst nightmare I could ever possibly imagine."

"Please explain, Miss Weasley. I'm sure whatever you dreamt about can easily be explained."

"I dreamt I was in the Chamber of Secrets again. Tom Riddle came to me and showed me my lifeless body before it was going to be sacrificed. He told me that he was the greatest wizard alive, and more powerful than you. Tom then taunted me and said he would come back one day with his followers at his feet. Before I woke up, Tom sent a basilisk after me and it squeezed me to death. Everything seemed so real, sir!" I said hysterically.

"It's okay, Miss Weasley. It does not do to dwell on dreams if one refuses to acknowledge the truth. Tom Riddle is gone. Mr. Potter claimed that Riddle vaporized when the diary was destroyed."

"But it was so real! I can't go relive that again, professor! Please don't let Tom get me!"

Madam Pomfrey came over to my bed and held me close. I felt a little better to have someone hold me, but I wish it was my savior instead of the school healer. After a few minutes I finally calmed down, Madam Pomfrey left the headmaster and I alone. I began to speak, but there was still some fear in my soul.

"Professor Dumbledore, is Tom Riddle really You- .. I mean ... is Tom Riddle really Voldemort?" I asked.

A gasp escaped the old man and it looked like the wind was knocked out of his lungs. Before he even admitted the truth, I could tell that this news was uncommon for people to know.

"Yes, Miss Weasley, I am afraid he is. Did your dream tell you this? Do you recall what happened in the Chamber?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, I did dream this sir, but I was never told directly by anyone. The last thing I remember before going to the chamber was heading into the abandoned girl's bathroom. Then everything went back. When I woke, Harry had a Basilisk fang in his hand, and the diary looked like it was bleeding. Is that right?"

"You are correct, Miss Weasley. Mr. Potter did go down to the Chamber of Secrets, along with your brother Ronald, and Professor Lockhart, in an attempt to rescue you. Professor Lockhart tried to _Obliviate_ the boys but it backfired on him because he used your brother's broken wand. That's what caused the cave in. Harry went by himself into the chamber, and saved your life, but not before defeating Tom Riddle and the basilisk." Dumbledore explained. "Now back to your question. Tom Riddle is indeed Lord Voldemort. Even back then, I could sense great darkness within him, but alas, I could not find any proof of his wrongdoings until months after he had graduated from Hogwarts."

"What was he like, sir? How did Tom turn out this way?" I asked.

Dumbledore sighed and seemed to have drifted off into space for a moment before returning to me.

"Tom was an extremely intelligent and courageous young man, Miss Weasley. He could have easily fit in Ravenclaw, but it seems his Slytherin side came out on top. When I first found him at a run-down orphanage, I could tell he would be a powerful wizard one day. He conjured flame from his hands by only thinking of it, and hissed in parseltongue to his pet snake. I was surprised by his abilities, but did I know he would turn out so evil? No, I didn't. I always believed Tom would change the world, but I never imagined it would be like this." He replied.

"So why did he possess me, professor? It doesn't seem logical that Voldemort would want to spend his time on me when there are other things he could have been doing. What made me so special for his plans?" I questioned.

"That is an excellent question, Miss Weasley. You see, the diary you were holding onto this year was a conduit between the spiritual world and the physical world that could have allowed Voldemort to take control of your actions and thoughts. The only way this could be possible is if the dark lord sealed a piece of his soul within this diary. Then someday the diary would fall into someone's hands and the Chamber of Secrets would re-open once again. After he would regenerate, Tom would absorb the magic from your body and become more powerful. It's one thing to deal with Voldemort when he was in power, but if his magic were to increase it would doom us all.

Truthfully it did not matter who possessed the diary, young lady. However, I find it strange that someone who has a family that strongly opposes blood ranking, was given this diary in the first place. Whoever gave you this diary seemed to be deliberately attacking the reputation of your family. Do you know anyone that would want to do this kind of thing to your mother or father?"

"I am not sure, sir. Mum can be rough around the edges, but she doesn't make enemies. Dad does work in the Ministry of Magic, and there are lots of politicians out there who don't believe in his ideas about muggles. Actually, now that I think about it, the only person who Dad doesn't get along with at all is Mr. Malfoy. I remember he and Dad got into an argument at a bookstore this last year, and the result was a bit violent."

"Do you think he could have given you the diary, Miss Weasley?"

I thought hard about the man in the cloak. Mr. Malfoy always had a commanding presence and it seemed unlikely that he was the man I met. This mysterious person seemed scrawny and unsure of himself, which is the complete opposite of Mr. Malfoy.

"I don't think so, professor. It didn't seem like him."

"Very well, Miss Weasley. We shall keep a close eye on him regardless."

Dumbledore mentioned as he walked over to the windows. The sky was dark out, so there was nothing particular he could focus on. He must have been in a great deal of concentration.

"Let's go back to Tom for a moment if you don't mind. There are a great number of reasons why he could have split his soul, Miss Weasley, but the only idea that sounds most plausible is that Tom wanted to live forever by any means necessary. I remember back in his school days, he asked me once about how to cheat death. At the time I had no answer for him, but it seems he found another way. If only I noticed something back then, this could have all been avoided." Dumbledore stated.

"Don't blame yourself, Dumbledore. The fault is Tom's. Not yours." I said while shaking my head.

"I appreciate the sentiment little one, but alas it is true. Tom was as much my problem as anyone else's. I contributed to his uprising by teaching him the capabilities of becoming a wizard. Oh, my. It appears we have gone off track once again. Let's get back to your questions. To answer your question about Tom, by splitting his soul into pieces, and thereby putting them into objects to act as vessels, the boy would not die until all of his fragments were destroyed. I had hoped he would never even try to attempt this, but it seems I really did not know the boy as well as I thought." Dumbledore said with an admission of guilt.

"How do you split your soul, professor?"

"By killing, Miss Weasley. By killing. The act of murder is heinous to the soul. When someone is killed by a witch or wizard, the killer's soul tears and becomes unstable. While this is happening, the killer can take their unbalanced soul and put part of it into another object."

I sat there trying to process this information but Dumbledore didn't let up with the questions.

"Can you tell me anything else on who gave you this diary, Miss Weasley?"

I then began telling Dumbledore about the mystery man in the back part of Diagon Alley, but I left out the part about my mother having access to Harry's bank account. When I was done, Dumbledore resumed his line of questioning.

"So someone in a dark cloak gave you this diary, but you were not able to catch his name or recognize his voice?" Dumbledore asked.

I shook my head and felt foolish. I fell into that trap hook, line, and sinker. I hope I'm using that muggle quote correctly.

 **I admit it was a stupid thing to do by accepting the strange gift from that man, but how was I supposed to know it was controlled by Voldemort? Well from now on I've decided to stay away from people in dark alleys giving away mysterious diaries.**

"Well, it's no matter. Sinister people like that tend to always get their just deserts in the end." Dumbledore said whilst bringing me back to reality. "Can you do me a favor, Miss Weasley? It is an important one to ask and I fear the need for your discretion."

"What is it, professor?" I asked.

"I must ask you to not repeat any of the information we have discussed today with anyone, especially Mr. Potter, for it is dangerous if our foes were to learn what we have discovered. Can you keep this a secret, my dear?"

I wasn't sure how to respond on this. The secret about my marriage contract and the knowledge that Hermione and Ron originally were asked to be Harry's fake friends would be stacked on top of Tom's dark past. I had to lessen this load somehow because this was too much to deal with. Maybe I can strike a deal with Professor Dumbledore on this.

"I will agree, if you promise to help me."

"What can I do for you?" Dumbledore asked.

"There's only one thing I want, professor. I'm sure you already know what that is."

"I expected as much. I cannot give you any answers since I am under an oath, Miss Weasley. Your parents will not be able to assist either since the contract was signed by the both of them, and I was the witness to the event. I will mention, however, that sometimes the truth is better to be kept hidden. Are you sure you want to find out why this contract was made?" Dumbledore asked.

"If I don't like what I hear, can you _Obliviate_ my memories?" I jokingly asked but in a serious tone. Dumbledore chuckled a little before responding.

"Alas, no dear child. The memory wiping spell is only intended to be used on adults, and if it were to be used on a child, the damage would become irreversible and leave the child as nothing more than a hollow shell. Please keep this in mind before choosing to find out the information on this contract." Dumbledore cautioned me.

"I have to know, Dumbledore. It's not that I'm ungrateful for being betrothed to Harry, but something about this feels wrong to me. I also need to know the real reason why it was made at all. I once heard from Gringotts that Mum only drafted this contract to get Harry's vast fortune, but that doesn't seem like her to do something like that."

"You are correct, dear child. Your mother and father care very little for money, and would never make a contract to sell you off. Many pureblood parents do this in order to ensure their children are well taken care of, but your parents believe it feels like slavery to sell one person to another. While I cannot reveal exactly why the contract was made, or what the details of it are, Miss Weasley, I can tell you what it is not about. Do you understand what I am saying?"

I nodded. While Dumbledore is not exactly on my side, it wouldn't hurt to ask him questions from time to time.

"Very well. Just as a show of good faith, I will give you the chance to back out of this arrangement one last time. Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I know what I'm getting myself into, professor. I have thought of nothing else for this long. It's not something I want to keep from Harry either. He has a right to know just as much as I do." I said with a confidence I didn't even know I had.

"That's quite wise of you, Miss Weasley. I will search for other methods of obtaining a copy of this contract for you, but this may take a long time. Even though the contract is about you, the Ministry tends to be wrapped around a lot of red tape. I would expect you to get this answer in a few years time." Dumbledore said.

"What? That's crazy, sir! I can't wait that long!"

"I realize it is not the ideal answer you were looking for, Miss Weasley, but this is the only way I know of getting a copy. For now, try to be patient. I know it may seem difficult, but you will learn the truth someday."

With nothing else to say, Dumbledore turned away started walking away. As he was about to walk out the door, I realized that I had one more thing on my mind that I needed to know about.

"Professor, wait! I need to talk to you about one more thing."

He turned to me again and started walking back. I felt bad making him come all the way back but I figured this feeling of guilt would pass.

"I wanted to ask you about Ron and Hermione. What exactly did you promise to give each of them to become Harry's friends?" I asked.

"Your brother was quite easy to persuade, Miss Weasley. He wanted power, recognition, and wealth: the three things that corrupt most men instantly. I decided to award him with 100,000 galleons and an Order of Merlin First Class, providing Voldemort dies in battle and Harry lives. I'm sure you could imagine that Ronald wanted nothing to do with Mr. Potter after learning he was sorted into Slytherin. He was extremely angry and, therefore, took his anger out on Harry by getting into fights with him this past year. Now Miss Granger, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. I want you to understand Miss Weasley that she has had a hard life and only wanted the one thing that could provide her some peace after many years of searching." Dumbledore said.

"I don't understand what that means, sir." Now I really wanted to know what Hermione was after.

"It is not my place to tell you, Miss Weasley. I suggest you find Hermione Granger and ask her when she awakens." Dumbledore declared.

I then pouted a little before realizing that he was probably right. Dumbledore would only want to respect other people's discretion. I nodded in response and, with that, finally, Dumbledore bid me a goodnight and headed to sleep. I soon found myself in the same situation. When I finally awoke the sun was shining and it was peering in through the stained glass windows of the infirmary. The Hospital Wing appeared to be empty except for the fact that Madam Pomfrey was changing the sheets of the beds near me. I'm guessing that's what woke me up; the rustling of the sheets from the beds.

"How long did I sleep?" I asked Madam Pomfrey.

"A few hours. It's around seven in the morning. Your parents will be here in a few hours, Miss Weasley."

"What? Why didn't anyone wake me up?" I shouted in surprise.

"The experience in the Chamber of Secrets drained your magical core to its limits and, if that maniac had absorbed your core for a few more minutes, you would never be able to use magic again." Madam Pomfrey said with a bit of aggravation in her voice.

My mouth was hanging open after that explanation. I had to force my jaw shut so that flies wouldn't come in.

"I had no idea it was that bad. So Tom almost drained all my magic? Does that mean I have any left?" I wailed.

"Oh shush now, Miss Weasley. Your magic is fine. Your core will be taxing on you for a couple of weeks, but you will get better with plenty of rest." Madam Pomfrey explained.

I nodded in response and then breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing that I am still a witch, even though I am weak right now. Oh well. I'll get my magic back to full strength again soon. Then I'll be a force to be reckoned with once again in my house.

"Now, Miss Weasley, do you need anything? If not I need to return to the patients who were suffering from the petrified attacks." Madam Pomfrey asked me while breaking my concentration.

"The other students are okay? None of them are dead are they?" I hopefully asked.

Madam Pomfrey looked at me like I had three heads and informed me that they were indeed okay. She did ask me where I would get an idea like that, but I just shrugged it off while trying not to sound more ridiculous. I then had a realization that Hermione is probably awake and I could now speak to her. Hopefully, she's okay too.

"Can I go see Hermione Granger, please? I really need to speak to her about something Madam Pomfrey."

"Fine. Don't cause any fuss, young lady, or I'll keep you here until you're in your sixties." The matron said while half threatening me.

"I promise. I won't cause any trouble in there."

With that Madam Pomfrey took me into the contamination wing of the Hospital. Since the students were finally unfrozen from their petrified state, most were in beds and sleeping. Well ... all but one were and it was the one that valued knowledge over her own life. She was sitting in her bed and had about three to four books spread out in front of her. No doubt she is trying to play catch up from all the school she had missed. Harry told me a few months ago that at some point last year Hermione said being killed was not as worse as being expelled from Hogwarts. She needs to get her priorities sorted out.

I approached Hermione's bed but got no response from her. I think she was so focused on reading and trying to cram in so much information that she didn't notice I was there. I then did a slight cough near her to indicate I was present and trying to talk, but again she decided to not respond. Then I tried coughing again, but louder and more apparent than necessary this time, but nothing happened.

That's it. I don't have the energy to wait around forever for her to respond to me. It's time for me to take drastic measures. With whatever strength I possessed, I drew in all the air in my lungs and then practically yelled out her name at the top of my lungs.

"HEEEERRRRRRRMMMMIIIIOOOOOONNNNEEEEEEE!" I yelled.

The book Hermione Granger was hanging onto simply flew out of her hands because she was so scared and didn't know who was screaming her name. After catching her breath she glared at me.

"Why did you do ... Oh. It's you. You nearly petrified me to death!"

 **Oh boy. I am not sure those were the right choice of words, Hermione. I really hope you don't get mad at me when you discover I was the one opening the Chamber of Secrets.**

"I had to get your attention somehow. I was coughing a few times over the last minute and you didn't even notice I was here!"

"Well as you can see, I am overwhelmed because I lost about two months of time out of school. Because of that, I have to catch up on everything in a matter of days before the exams arrive! I don't know how I am going to be able to do this in such a short amount time!" Hermione wailed in a miniature freak out.

"Hermione get ahold of yourself" I said whilst giving her a slap across the face.

I admit slapping her felt good ESPECIALLY since she slapped me earlier this year. I couldn't let this get to me though because I was here to see if she was okay and not to start things up.

"What the bloody hell was that for?"

"You're going crazy, Granger. You need to calm down or else I'll start slapping you again. Also, don't worry about catching up in your classes. Exams have been canceled for the year because of what happened."

Hermione's eyes grew large and then she nearly fainted from excitement and shock.

"Oh thank Salazar. I was about to have nervous breakdown! Now I can try to get some sleep!" She exclaimed. Then reality kicked in, and I was ready for her.

"Hang on. Why are you here anyways? You're not my friend and you really shouldn't be after what you've been doing to Harry all year! Did you come to rub it in my face for being a careless mud-blood or something?"

"No that's not why I'm here. I need you to listen to me! It ... it wasn't my fault with how I acted this year. I know I said some horrible things to you and Harry at the beginning, and throughout, but it wasn't really me who was saying it in the first place." I explained to her.

"What do you mean?"

"I was possessed for the entire year because of some evil diary that belonged to the most vile man in the entire Wizarding World." I answered.

"You mean ... V-V-Voldemort?" She tried to say without squeaking in fear.

I nodded. "He made me do terrible things. I've never felt so tainted and unclean in all my life. He even used me to open the Chamber of Secrets and kill the muggle-born students in the school." I admitted while starting to cry.

"But you didn't kill anyone, Ginny. No one died. They were only petrified." Hermione assured me.

"I know. I had to try and fight off Tom at any possible chance I could to prevent the Basilisk from killing anyone. It was the only way to not let anyone die."

"So on the train when I met you, he was possessing you?" Hermione asked.

"Not exactly. I wasn't possessed all the way, but more like under his influence. He kept advising me on what to say and I figured it was my conscience telling me what was right. When we were done speaking I felt awful and realized something was wrong but I had no idea it was Tom's doing!"

Suddenly I was engulfed in a hug from Hermione that was completely unexpected. I thought she would hate me even more after learning how nasty I was. Since it felt good to have some comfort, I broke down completely. Whatever sort of barrier I had that was keeping me from bawling my eyes out was gone. I sobbed uncontrollably for minutes on end until I felt that no more tears would shed.

"I'm sorry." I said while whispering and sniffling. "I'm sorry for everything."

"It's okay Ginny. I forgive you." Hermione whispered back.

"Thank you, Hermione."

The two of us then finally released the hug and I was able to breathe in a few deep breaths before we started talking again.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think I am, but I will be." I said while trying to force a smile.

"Okay. Like I said earlier, I do forgive you, Ginny. It's really nice to get to know the real you."

"Likewise." I said.

This time I really was smiling without having to force anything. Now that the air was clear I decided now may be the time to strike and re-ask a question I wanted to know about for some time.

"Hermione, I wanted to ... (sigh) I wanted to ask you the same question I asked you almost a year ago when I met you. Do you remember it?" I asked.

"You mean the one where you asked what I would have gotten in return for trying to be Harry's friend?" She wondered.

"You really are the smartest witch of your age you know." I said. She blushed a little at that statement. "I honestly don't know why the Sorting Hat placed you in Slytherin when you should have been in Ravenclaw. N-not that I'm opposed to Slytherins! Honest! I was just saying that ... Godric that comment sounds worse than it is." I said before I was cut off.

"It's fine, Ginny. I get that question more often than you think. Let me answer your question and then I'll give you my guess as to why I ended up in Slytherin."

I nodded.

"To explain what I wanted, I have to tell you a story. When I was born, my parents were told that I was diagnosed with a rare disease in my bones that would cause them to break easier as time went on. I often had to be in casts because even doing something as simple as putting on clothes or running down the stairs too quickly could shatter my bones. My parents were worried I was going to die at an early age and vowed to keep me safe as much as possible because they loved me.

When I turned five, however, everything changed. My parents were thrilled at first because it seemed the disease just disappeared overnight. It was the magic that was building inside of me. Apparently magic users cannot contract muggle diseases like cancer, aids, or even the flu once their magical cores start to develop. It was a miracle, Ginny, and I was so thankful that my horrible disease was gone. I became stronger, and I began to think faster and process information better than ever before. I also noticed whenever I read something I retained a photographic memory of it in my mind and could always remember it! This was when I began to notice strange things happening and when my life changed for the worse.

For the next few years, I started doing things no other child could: books would move randomly off the shelves, appliances would go on and off at random, and my hair would grow back sometimes overnight whenever I got it cut. My parents were displeased by these things I could do and would often punish me with chores if I did anything out of the ordinary.

When I turned eight, my parents decided they had enough and put me up for adoption without my knowledge. I remember the specific day they left me because at first it sounded like we were going on vacation. My parents asked me to pack all of my things because we were going away for a long while. Being my naive self, I did as they asked and was ready to go within an hour. I was surprised when they didn't have any luggage but they lied and told me there was too much to carry and it would be flown to them later. We ended up driving for a few hours and I kept asking where we were going and what kind of fun activities we would do once we got there. My parents fed me lie after lie to me. They promised this trip would be a life-changing experience and they were sure I would like it.

Eventually, we made a stop at a boarding house for orphaned children and I thought that my parents simply had to use the restroom so I followed them out. I was wrong. We found ourselves in the office of the manager who ran the place and that's when everything changed. My parents dropped the charade and then told me that I was going to live here from now on. I frantically begged and pleaded them not to do this but they wouldn't have anything of it. They yelled and screamed at me saying I was not their daughter any more and that they were going to have a new kid that wasn't so weird. They happily drove away after shoving my suitcase into me and left me on the steps of the orphanage. It took me a few months to accept my situation, but eventually, I started to enjoy myself. I was happy there because no one treated me like some sort of pariah but the hurt I felt from my parents still lingered on.

I will admit that being at the orphanage worried me for some time because there was always a chance I could get adopted. Fortunately, that never happened. No one wanted a child that was already past the age of five and most parents that came in just passed over me from the start. I didn't care though. I didn't want to go to another family just to be sent back because of my weird abilities. I spent the next three years there until I was offered to come to Hogwarts and become a witch.

So to answer your question, Ginny, I wanted to know what happened to my parents. Did they move away? Were they serious in having a new child? Why did they react so harshly to me? Wasn't I good enough to be their daughter? I needed to know all of these things and more. So when Dumbledore came to me with this proposal of trying to become Harry's friend, I had no choice but to accept. At first, the plan was for me to get accepted into any house with Harry except for Slytherin because most people believed if you were sorted into that house, you were considered to be a dark witch or wizard. That was not something that should have happened to "The Boy Who Lived" because it would lose his image with the public.

I didn't even consider that I would end up in Slytherin, but I quickly realized that I should have considered this outcome. I'm not dark at all, I promise. I couldn't imagine what the Sorting Hat was thinking when it put me into Slytherin. With one fell swoop, my deal was destroyed. Any chance of me finding out the answers I needed to know about my parents went up in flames. That night after the ceremony, I cried for hours and even tried to blame everything on Harry, but I couldn't. He wasn't at fault. It was me who did something wrong, but I couldn't understand what it was or why this was happening to me.

The next day, Dumbledore called me into his office and I cried for a long time before he could tell me the deal was off. I already knew it was because of what he told me earlier: don't get into Slytherin and be Harry's friend. Well, I got into Slytherin so I knew that I failed. When I finally stopped crying he informed me that while his original deal was off the table, he decided to help me find out the answers I was looking for anyways. I was baffled by Dumbledore's generosity but took it anyways. I eventually got the answers to all of my questions and more when Dumbledore actually took me to them. I wish Harry would have been with me, but I knew I had to do this alone. I was so afraid to see them after all this time but Dumbledore assured me that they couldn't harm me.

We apparated to their residence and I immediately got my first question answered. My parents did move away. I guess they didn't want their location discovered by me in case I found them later on. When we rang the doorbell, my mother answered the door and was shocked to see me but not in a good way. She was mean and asked me to leave and never come back. My father then came to the door and pretty much said the same thing but Dumbledore wouldn't have it. He bound my parents to the couch and made them take Veritaserum so I could get all my questions answered truthfully.

After a few hours and much heartache, I finally found out everything my parents were hiding from me. They didn't want me any more because being weird and unnatural is grounds for unworthiness in their lives. They were unsure for the longest time on what to do with me until they came up with the brilliant plan to just make me an orphan. I hated them for that but they didn't care. They never did have another child just in case it turned out like me. I guess that did allay my fears somewhat because I would never want another child to be abandoned like I was.

My last question to them hurt me the most. I asked them why they couldn't just accept me for who I was and keep me as their daughter. They told me that anyone who was weird or different was considered as an abomination. The world is filled with so many people that can do things like me, but they only wanted a pure muggle child. No magic. No weirdness. No strange abilities. I guess I should have seen this coming but I needed to be absolutely sure.

As we began to leave, Dumbledore erased all of my parents' memories of me and also performed a spell that made both of them infertile which would last even if they decided to divorce. I vowed I would never let anyone hurt me that way again and would defend myself in any way that I could. That's why I have to learn everything I can, Ginny. I need to be the best at magic to protect myself. I need to be the best to prove that I am a good person. I need to show others that muggle-born children are just as powerful as any half or pure blooded ones.

That's why I believe I was put into Slytherin.

The Sorting Hat knew what I wanted before I even did. My goals are absolute and I won't let anyone stop me from becoming the very best that I can possibly be. I only hope one day that my efforts will pay off because I want to change this world for the better. I plan to reform the Ministry of Magic into a more caring and understanding branch of government and do away with all these ridiculous prejudices about what kind of house you went into or what kind of status your family has. Not only that, but I plan to make significant changes to how wizards and witches treat creatures of lower class like house elves. We need to change. We all do. I will make this become a reality, Ginny and I hope you agree with me that things need to change in order to make a better tomorrow."

When Hermione reached the end of her story, I was completely in awe of her. Now I understand everything. She is such an inspiring witch and I was envious to be as courageous, thoughtful, and gifted as she was. On the other hand, I could feel my heart tearing at the moments when she mentioned her parents and how they could be so cruel. This reminded me so much of what Harry was hinting at with his childhood, but it's still happening in his case whereas most of Hermione's troubles sounded like they were over.

"Hermione I ... I don't know what to say. Your story is incredible. I'm so sorry you had to go through that." I acknowledged to her.

Hermione only nodded in response and sighed deeply. She then leaned back into her pillow on the bed and made herself somewhat comfortable.

"Thanks, Ginny. I know if I didn't go through that experience, I wouldn't be the witch that I am today, but at the same time I lost my parents. Now they don't even know who I am. I still wouldn't trade what I was given, but ... well, you know already." Hermione said.

"If this is a sore subject then you don't have to answer, but your story left me with some questions. Can I ask about the story you told me?" I asked.

"Yes, but I will stop you if it gets too personal."

"Okay. First I wanted to ask how are you able to pay for school? If you're an orphan then how did you manage to pay for last year and this year?" I asked.

"Oh, I realized this quite early on. I conveniently left out the part of the story where Dumbledore and I "acquired" 200,000 pounds from my parents' retirement fund." She admitted while smirking. "So I'm fine financially, but I don't want to go overboard either on spending."

"Okay, now it makes sense as to why you're in Slytherin. I knew there was another reason why you ended up there." I said while laughing.

"Oh shut up Ginny." Hermione said while smirking at me.

"What about living arrangements? Do you still live in the orphanage?" I asked.

"Not anymore. I did live there until I left for Hogwarts this year, but now that I'm thirteen, I am considered to be too old for adoption. Any child that turns thirteen and is not adopted must be vacated to another residence by the government. That process, unfortunately, takes a long time, and as of a few months ago, I still didn't have a place to live."

"So you're homeless? What are you going to do when you leave here in a few days?" I worriedly asked.

"Well I was worried earlier this year, but thankfully a wonderful solution dropped into my lap. Don't worry about me, Ginny. I have everything taken care of. In fact, I ... no. I don't want to spoil the surprise. You will find out very soon, I promise." She slyly answered.

"Okay, now you got me curious. Can't you just tell me now?"

"No can do. I won't spoil it when I'd rather let someone else tell you anyways." She slyly answered once again.

"Okay, now you really have me curious." I said while chuckling a little. Hermione was smiling and I was honestly glad that she was.

"I do have one more thing I wanted to ask you, Hermione. Does Harry know about the deal you and Ron tried to make with Dumbledore?" I asked.

"Yes. He does."

I think she's still a little sore on this subject.

"Is everything okay between you and Harry?"

"It's better, but I feel he doesn't trust me as much as he used to. I can't blame him because I betrayed his trust. As of now, we are still friends."

"How did he find out?" I asked.

"I told him ... (sigh) ... I told him that night you, he, and I fought in the cabin on the train. It was right after the sorting ceremony and we all headed back up to the dorms. Even though we weren't friends at the time, I knew you were right when you said I should have told him about this deal behind his back."

It was then that I started to feel guilty about what I said. I know I was right about what Hermione needed to do, but, I'm no saint either. I still can't find a way to tell Harry about what is going on between the two of us, and I'm really afraid I might lose him if he ever does find out. Maybe if Hermione and I become better friends I can ask her for advice, but I can't do that just now. I need to know if I can trust her first, then confide later. While I was thinking about this, Hermione kept on talking and I tried to follow along.

" ... because it ate away at me the entire time at dinner until I sat down and talked to him. If you have the time, I'll tell you exactly what happened." She informed me.

"I'm still confined to the Hospital Wing, Hermione, so I'm not going anywhere."

Hermione nodded and then started telling me the tale.

* * *

 **September 1st, 1992:**

 _Once Harry and I reached the Slytherin Common Room after dinner, I asked to meet him in private. Since every student in Slytherin is given their own private rooms, instead of shared dorms, I followed Harry into his room and then he closed the door behind me._

* * *

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. How is it the Slytherins are the only ones who get their own rooms, while the rest of us have to share?" I asked.

"No idea. I'm guessing it has to do with Salazar thinking he was better than everyone else. That way his pupils should get the best too."

"Makes sense to me, but it's still not fair."

"Can I continue with the story now, Ginny?"

"Fine. Sorry, Hermione."

* * *

 _Once Harry and I reached the Slytherin Common Room after dinner, I asked to meet him in private. Since every student in Slytherin is given their own private rooms, instead of shared dorms, I followed Harry into his room and then he closed the door behind me._

 _"What's up, Hermione? Is something wrong?" Harry asked._

 _"Harry, I need to talk to you about something important. I need you to listen to everything I say before you get mad at me. Can you do this?" I asked._

 _"Why would I get mad at you, Hermione? You're my best friend and ..."_

 _"Harry. Stop. I need you to promise me."_

 _"Okay, Hermione. I promise you, I won't get mad."_

 _"Please try to remember that Harry. Also, please realize what I'm about to tell you has to strictly be kept between us. Can you also promise to not to tell a soul?" I asked with some fear in me._

 _"Yes of course. What's all this about Hermione? Are you in trouble or something?"_

 _"No, I'm not in trouble. I need to tell you about ... about ... I need to tell you about our friendship."_

 _"I don't understand. Are we not friends anymore?" Harry asked._

 _"Yes. I mean no. I mean ... Ok. Let me try to explain. Did you ever find it strange how we met, Harry?" I asked._

 _"No. Why?"_

 _"Nothing seemed odd at all? You mean me coming into that exact compartment with you in it and looking for a pet toad didn't sound suspicious in the slightest?" I asked._

 _"Well ... no ... not really. I figured that kid's toad really was lost and you were just trying to help. What's this all about Hermione?" Harry asked._

 _"I have to confess something to you. I didn't come into that cabin trying to find Neville's toad. That was just completely coincidental that the toad was lost. I was asked to become your friend so that someone would keeping an eye on you at all times."_

 _"What the hell does that mean, Hermione? Who wants an eye on me at all times? What are you trying to say?" He asked with some aggravation._

 _"Harry, you promised you wouldn't get mad. Please listen and remain calm for me._ _Dumbledore asked Ron Weasley and I to become your friends at the start of our first year. We were asked to do this in exchange for something extremely valuable to us. The only thing we had to do in return was give him weekly progress reports on what you were up to."_

 _"Why would you do that, Hermione? What could be so valuable that you needed to spy on me for?" Harry asked with even more aggression in his voice._

 _"I don't expect you to understand, Harry, but I'll tell you everything."_

 _From there I told him: me before becoming a witch, my magic prowess, and my parents. I could tell that Harry began to understand as time went on and I knew he was getting less aggravated at me. When I was finished telling him why I needed to spy on him, he asked me something._

 _"I'm so sorry about what happened between you and your parents,_ _Hermione_ _. I always thought you were lucky because at least you got to know your Mum and Dad, but I guess knowing that they hate you is even worse than not ever meeting them at all. Were we ever friends, Hermione?" Harry asked me._

 _"We are, I promise. You're my best friend. I don't have any other secrets to hide from you, I swear. Even if I was still a spy for Dumbledore, I would have told you eventually. I was just so afraid of what you would think of me that I kept the truth from you for over a year._ _At first, I thought that I could just report what I could about you, keep our relationship friendly yet platonic and stay focused. As soon as we were sorted into Slytherin everything changed Harry. You, Ron, and I were supposed to be in the same house together, but it didn't work out that way. The plans to spy on you were instantly dropped after that. Ron's objective for being your friend was dissolved instantly and he became bitter towards you. Dumbledore did help me, but I feel it was because my needs were purely for closure._ _So ... I wanted to say I'm sorry Harry. I'm sorry for lying, I'm sorry for all the times I could have told you but didn't, and I'm sorry for ever doing this in the first place. I just hope that one day you can forgive me." I said while trying my absolute hardest not to cry._

 _Harry turned away from me and stood at the wall for what seemed like forever. Occasionally I could hear some sighs. I could tell he was deep in thought about this whole thing._

 _"I understand the lengths you had to go through in order to find out the answers about your parents. I mean, I would have done the same thing myself if I was in your shoes, but it still hurt to know that you did this from me." Harry said._

 _"I understand."_

 _He seemed to think about what I said for a few moments before something alarming came to him._

 _"What about Ginny? Is she in on this too?" Harry asked while turning back to me._

* * *

"Wait. He asked about me making a deal with Dumbledore?"

"Yes, Ginny, now quit interrupting me."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Now, where was I? Oh yes. Now I remember."

* * *

 _"What about Ginny? Is she in on this too?" Harry asked while turning back to me._

 _"I only know about the deal involving Ron and myself. I don't know what to think, Harry. If you want to still be her friend, even after what happened earlier, then I won't stand in your way." I said hesitantly._

 _"I don't know what to do about her Hermione. She was so different on the train. I swear that's not how she normally acts. There must be something bothering her because I've never seen her this way. I'll try to talk to her again later. Hopefully, we can just move on and forget this ever happened."_

 _"Okay, that's fine. Where does this leave us, Harry? Are we still friends?" I asked._

 _Harry looked at me with a serious expression on his face that I couldn't read. His eyes stared right into mine and I could tell he was trying to see if I was being truthful or not._

 _"You really hurt me, Hermione. I really wasn't expecting that from you, but ..."_

 _"Harry I'm sorry! Can't you see ..." I said before I was asked to stop._

 _Harry held to his hand in protest._

 _"Hermione please wait I wasn't finished. I understand why you did it, but it doesn't excuse the fact that you didn't tell me. Please don't do this again. Ever. You're my friend and friends don't do this to each other."_

 _Harry then came towards me and he gave me a hug. I returned it and then thanked him for his acceptance._

* * *

"That's all that happened, Ginny," Hermione said. "Like I said earlier, he does forgive me, but his trust is a little shaken."

 _"Okay, I'm really scared now. Harry had a tough time accepting Hermione's issue and she had a really good reason behind it too. I'm doomed. There's no one that can help me now."_ I thought.

"I wouldn't worry too much about Harry's trust in you, Hermione." I said while trying my damnedest to hide my own guilt.

Hermione then looked at me with a strange expression on her face and I proceeded to explain.

"There were a few times I tried to see you in the Hospital Wing, but Harry was always there. The first time I came Harry was extremely mad at me and told me to leave. From that point on I stayed away. I figured he would always be there, and didn't want to start any fights with him. Did you hear anything Harry said while being petrified?"

"No, I didn't. It was like one giant dream. One minute everything went dark and the next I woke up and I find out its been almost three months later. I didn't hear anything or feel anything from anyone if they were here." She said to me.

"Well, Harry kept saying over and over again that he is sorry and he forgives you completely. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but now I understand."

Hermione then sighed in relief. I felt that I was taking up a lot of Hermione's resting time so I decided to start heading back to my bed and get some more rest as well. I was stopped however by Hermione who said:

"I wasn't finished speaking to you, Ginny." In the same voice that I remembered her saying on the train to me earlier this year.

I froze up in fear and was about to ask what was the matter when she started howling with laughter.

"And what is so funny?" I asked her.

"You! I think I scared the absolute pants off of you Ginny when I told you I wasn't finished talking. You should have seen your face." Hermione said while still laughing.

"Oh haha, Granger. Very funny." I said while trying not to laugh as well. "I am going to go now if that's okay so that I can get some more rest. I'm sure you need it as well, Hermione."

"Wait! Before you go, would you like to hear about where I am staying from now on?" She asked me.

"I thought you said someone was going to explain that to me and that you don't want the surprise ruined."

"Well yes, but he's almost here. I told him to meet me after lunch and come back straight here to discuss our living arrangements."

"Okay. Who is ..." I started to ask before the doors to the Hospital Wing opened and someone started coming in.

The steps started progressing faster and faster which meant he was running over here to see Hermione. All of a sudden I witnessed a young man with emerald eyes, raven black hair, and a lightning scar on his forehead which indicated that …

"You look so much better, Hermione! I'm glad you're doing okay." Harry said to her.

"Harry, stop fussing over me. You already checked on my well being this morning and I told you then I was fine then too." Hermione slightly scolded him.

"You hurt me with your cruel words, Hermione" Harry said while feigning sadness.

"Shut up you prat. Now I want you to tell my new friend here the good news you have to share." Hermione said while gesturing over to me.

Harry then turned and saw that I was standing over. I could tell he didn't notice me as he came in to see Hermione.

"Ginny? Wait. You two are friends now?"

"Yes, Potter. Now tell her the news before I hit you with one of my books" Hermione stated.

"Okay sorry." Harry said. He then turned to me and started speaking again.

"Ginny. I've decided to adopt Hermione as my sister. She is going to be living with me from now on and will officially become Hermione Jean Potter by the end of the summer."


	6. Chapter 6: The End of the Term

**Disclaimer:** This story is 100% Alternate Universe and most, if not all, of the characters in this story are out of character as well. Also I don't own anything by J.K. Rowling and I am not trying to steal her characters, plots, or moments within the books that she has written. This is my own story and I also claim to not copy off of anyone else's work either in the process.

Please note that throughout this story, the characters will occasionally break the fourth wall. These sections will be represented in **bold** lettering.

 **What Happened Previously:** Ginny dreams about the Chamber of Secrets, and learns of Tom Riddle's real identity. Ginny asks Dumbledore for help in getting the details of the marriage contract, but it will take a long time. Hermione confides in Ginny about her past mistakes, and the two become friends. Hermione is officially adopted by Harry.

 **Last Updated:** **4/23/18**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The End of the Term**

 ** _(Harry P.O.V.)_**

 **June 18th, 1993:**

The moment I woke up this morning, a constant nagging of dread hung onto me and wouldn't let go, but I had no idea why. I could tell it was earlier than normal, so I laid in my bed trying to not disturb my dormmates. I know yesterday was a pretty good day, but why is today not? After a few minutes, nothing came to mind. Maybe there was something important I overlooked? I turned my head and looked over at the calendar that was near my four-poster bed, and to my displeasure, I discovered the answer to my gloomy behavior. It's the last day of the term and everyone is heading home for the summer holidays. Of course. Now I understand why I'm in a funk. I would trade lives with any of the students here if I could. My summer breaks aren't joyous, fun, or even safe because of the people I live with. One day I'll be old enough to leave them and never return. I only wish Dumbledore never had to make me go back there.

My relatives, The Dursleys, have treated me like a slave ever since I was 5, but before then it wasn't very pleasant either. That short span of my life before becoming five was when the Dursleys barely acknowledged my existence and, looking back on it now, I would have given anything for it to stay that way. I guess when you're five everything changes in the Dursley household because that's when I was given all of the chores for the house. Notice how I didn't say "some" of the chores, but "all" of them.

Mowing, gardening, laundry, cooking, cleaning, dusting, sweeping the floors, vacuuming, painting the house (once every year), and shining the silverware (once every month) were some of the never-ending lists of things I had to do in their household. They worked me to the bone, but that never stopped them from being oblivious to my sores or bruises while doing said chores. I figured out from the beginning that I never can, nor will I ever be their son, but I didn't care. I never even wanted to be related to these pompous bigots anyway.

To quote my uncle "You are a freak, and you will always be a freak!" Of course, in their eyes, freaks are unnatural and have to be punished. The punishment would usually be a ten-minute beating from my uncle or a slap in the face from my aunt. If the two cretins ever used Dudley for punishment, however, it would involve my cousin and his friends playing a game of "Harry Hunting" outside. If I was caught, the group of bullies would kick and beat me mercilessly until I blacked out. Any "freakishness" in the house, that means accidental magic, by the way, was forbidden. But that's not all. To speak of the dreaded "m-word", which is magic, would result in a very long confinement in my room under the stairs with no food or drink. Well, that's the way it happened before I went to Hogwarts. Last year I was given my own room, but my loving relatives put bolt locks on the door in case I misbehaved and needed to be confined to my room. I was punished for four days straight after saying the word magic accidentally last year, and I nearly threw up the bread and water I was given on the fifth day.

Things were only going to get worse now that I would be returning to Number 4 Privet Drive for the summer because Hermione is now going to be living with me. At least I hope she would. There's no way in hell I would stand for my newly adopted sister to be thrown out of the house. I don't care if I have to use the _Cruciatus Curse_ on them. She will live under the same roof as my relatives and that's final. Hermione staying with me is the only bright spot I can think of for the next few months. Then again it also means Hermione will see first hand what the Dursleys are like. I have explained to her a few times what my childhood was like while being as vague as possible, but now there was no way of hiding it. I should have explained more to her from the beginning, but it's too late to do anything about it now.

 **Oh, wait! I'm forgetting something, aren't I? How rude of me. In all this gloom, I forgot to mention how Hermione was adopted.**

It's simple actually. I filed a petition at the Ministry of Magic for Hermione's adoption. The only thing that surprises me is how Dumbledore was able to get my request approved so quickly. Actually, no, I'm not. This is where Dumbledore showed me his Slytherin side if he ever had one. The approval was done thanks to some effective intimidation and blackmail. Considering those fools at the Ministry of Magic were doing nothing to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets, or even trying to cure the muggle-born kids of petrification, and finally they blamed all of it on an innocent half-giant, their real priority seemed to be covering up the chamber. I couldn't blame them because if I screwed up that bad, I wouldn't want anyone to know either. Minister Fudge was furious. He initially wanted to throw the both of us out, but he had no choice to make a deal. The Minister knew that Dumbledore or I would eventually spill this news to the press, so Fudge gave into my "request" to have Hermione adopted. I found out later that the only way this could have happened, even with the minister's influence, was if I was the head of the house or an adult. Thankfully I am one of those, but it's unfortunate as to how I acquired that position.

Normally on days like these where I'm upset or depressed about something, I try to talk to Hermione, but that was going to be impossible because she has taken a liking to sleeping in. Ever since her recovery, she has been sleeping a lot throughout the day, but I can understand why. I recall her telling me that she was basically a statue for a few months and all of her senses were cut off, except hearing. I don't blame her for sleeping a lot. If I was petrified for a few months, I would need sleep as well. From the way Hermione described it, she wasn't able to interact with anyone, do anything, or even sleep. Her eyes were open the entire time and her ears were able to hear everything too. She heard everything around her but couldn't do anything about it. Hermione was stuck in an inescapable prison that seemed to drain on forever. After realizing this, it made me feel especially good inside that I always tried to come and see Hermione. If I was stuck in the same situation, I don't know how I could have survived the waiting and the everlasting boredom. She really is a strong person, and I'm glad she's in my life.

Anyway, since I couldn't see Hermione yet, because I most likely wouldn't see her for another three to four hours, I thought about trying to locate my first ever friend: Ginny Weasley. Then I quickly realized that option was no longer available. I had temporarily forgotten Ginny was taken back home after her recovery from the chamber. The last time I saw her was when I announced that Hermione is now my sister in the Hospital Wing. That was a week ago. I don't know if I said something wrong to Ginny or not because she didn't seem happy for either one of us at all. Come to think of it, Ginny seemed extremely sad but I didn't notice it until now.

Is she jealous? I can't understand why. Considering what Hermione had to endure in her life before coming to Hogwarts, it made me more determined than ever to make sure she would be taken care of. Maybe Ginny doesn't understand why I had to adopt Hermione? While I'll never have had the pleasure of getting to know my parents, Hermione did. Her Mum and Dad despised her for being the person she was. I couldn't believe there were others out there like the Dursleys, but I guess I was wrong. Thankfully Hermione was never physically abused, but she received a lot of mental abuse. When her parents discovered her "unnatural abilities", it was if their daughter died and something else took her place. I know Dumbledore obliviated her parent's memories, and I'm not satisfied with that outcome. It was the last time that Hermione would see her parents, and she should have asked for a punishment more fitting like ... oh I don't know ... castration on them or something?

Ginny ran away before anything could have been explained. That left things a little awkward between Hermione and me at that point. A few hours had passed after Ginny ran away from me and I made my way back to the Hospital Wing. She wasn't there. I figured Ginny went up to the dorm rooms in order to get away from me, I mean, get some sleep. The following morning, Headmaster Dumbledore came to me and pulled myself and Hermione aside. Apparently, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley decided to withdraw Ginny from Hogwarts for the remainder of the year, and Dumbledore wanted us to know. I asked if Ginny was okay, but the Headmaster was not able to give me a solid answer. I suspected as much.

A few days after Ginny left, I sent a short letter to her explaining that I was extremely happy she was safe. After the events in the Chamber of Secrets, anyone would be freaking out and watching over their shoulders. It's just unfortunate that it happened to her. I also mentioned in my note that I wanted to clear the air. I was concerned about her leaving the Hospital Wing abruptly, and so was Hermione. I asked if we could talk soon. To no surprise, I haven't received any mail as of yet. I even tried to get Fawkes to deliver a second letter to Ginny, but as soon as he left, he appeared seconds later as if to say "I'm sorry I can't do that for you."

I did expect this from what Ginny told me about her parents earlier this year, but it still makes me wonder if she's not being entirely truthful as to why I can't communicate with her. Do her parents really despise me? As far as I know, I'm not that bad of a bloke, but then again that's my own biased opinion. Maybe someday I'll meet them and ask why they don't want me associating with their daughter. Wait. Maybe not. I'm more scared of angry parents than basilisks. Hopefully, they'll never find out about that.

Wow, I got really distracted. All that thinking took two hours, and I still have some time to kill before I head down to the train to leave for the summer. Oh great, I thought about the Dursleys again. Damn. Ok, let's do something fun instead. I grabbed my broom and got in a few hours of flying at the Quidditch Pitch. I love flying. It always makes me feel so free as if there's no cage that can possibly contain me. I'm going to miss this incredible feeling for the next two months.

* * *

 ** _(Ginny P.O.V.)_**

 **June 13th, 1993:**

It's only been a few days since I was brought home. I don't think "brought" was the right term, though. More like "dragged against my will". Yeah, that will satisfy nicely. I should have come back to the Burrow. This is not my home anymore, and I feel it won't ever be again. I am a prisoner here, and I am in desperate need of escape. There are no answers here, there are no ways to escape the watchful eyes, and there's no possible method of communication. I figured this would happen. My parents aren't stupid. I knew they would find out about Fawkes or Hedwig eventually, but I didn't think it would be this soon. I thought I had time on my hands, but I let my guard drop and it cost me. I shouldn't have been so naive.

I tried to send a quick letter to Harry without getting noticed, but Fawkes trilled a little too loud after I praised him. In a matter of moments, Mum came thundering up the stairs and saw Fawkes flash away before she could do anything. She was furious with me, and Dumbledore too. It was minutes later when I heard Mum calling the Headmaster of Hogwarts through Floo-Calling. I'm pretty sure the window glass was on the verge of breaking by the time she was through. With his assistance, Dumbledore came by with a few Aurors and put our house under a powerful charm to repel apparition, flash travel, or any birds that are not approved to come through. The letter Fawkes delivered was possibly the last I would ever send to Harry. I teared up knowing there was nothing I could do. I guess this was goodbye. There were so many things unsaid between us, and now I may never get the chance to ever say them.

When I was pulled out of Hogwarts early by my parents I, unfortunately, left Harry and Hermione alone without explaining as to why I was so upset. I was never mad or sad at Hermione getting adopted by Harry. Quite the contrary in fact. I was completely grateful that my new friend was going to be taken care of. The reason why I was so upset is that my life was turned upside down during my talk with my parents in the Hospital Wing that previous evening. I tried to mask it all behind careful smiles and fake concern, but I was still not over it. I guess hearing that Hermione would always be with Harry solidified for me that I won't receive the same result and I couldn't contain my anguish. And so, after hearing of this news, I did the only thing I could do: I ran. Some Gryffindor I am. A true Gryffindor would have explained to my friends what was going on, but that is not me. I ran back to my bed and cried over what was going to happen to me. I cried over the fact I wouldn't be able to return to this castle.

Even though I was extremely tired and weary from the attack, I do remember all that was said between my parents and I. At first, my folks were genuinely concerned for my well being, but that all changed once they heard I was behind the attacks.

* * *

 **June 10th, 1993:**

 _"Ginevra, I cannot believe you went down into the Chamber of Secrets! What were you thinking by going down there? You could have been killed!" Mum shouted at me._

 _"It wasn't my fault, Mum! Tom Riddle had control over me for the entire year. He possessed me through the diary I carried around!" I shouted back at her with not as much energy._

 _"You honestly expect us to believe that a harmless diary controlled you and told you to attack the Muggle-borns in the school? Are you insane, Ginevra?"_

 _"I am NOT insane, Mum! The only thing that's insane here is that you refuse to listen to me. After all, I was there along with Harry Potter. He's the one who saved me!" I wailed._

 _"Don't speak about that boy, Ginevra. He has caused nothing but trouble and has clearly corrupted your mind. We warned you to stay away from him, and this is how you act? Where did we go wrong in raising you?" Mum said._

 _"Don't you understand pumpkin that Harry is dangerous? We cannot allow you to be near him because death seems to follow him! All who interact with him will die and we will not allow that to happen!" Dad explained to me._

 _"Harry is NOT dangerous Daddy. He saved my life and is my friend. The only person who's dangerous here is Tom Riddle. Why can't you see that he's the one behind everything!"_

 _"Tom Riddle is dead, Ginevra! I checked the records in the ministry, and I found out he died in the 1940's. How could a dead person possibly control you?"_

 _"He talked to me through the diary. As I continued to write in it, I was taken under his control. He made me attack the muggle-borns around the school. He was the one who released the basilisk upon the school. Tom also tried to sacrifice my life so he could come back to life!"_

 _"Don't lie to us, Ginevra. It's clear that Potter has corrupted you into thinking it was someone else who controlled you._ _That Potter boy is dangerous. It makes no difference if he saved your life. He's the reason why bad things happen in the Wizarding World! If he wasn't so hellbent on trying to destroy himself, then the school would be a much better place to learn. B_ _oth of us are extremely disappointed in you, Ginevra. We want you away from this dangerous school. The only way to keep you safe is to have you homeschooled from now on." Mum dictated with some force._

 _At that point, my blood was seething._

 _"Are either of you two listening to me? It was not my fault! Tom Riddle did this to me!" I shouted back at them again._

 _"Don't talk back to us young lady! We are your parents and we will do what is necessary to protect you. Even if that means we must protect you from yourself, then so be it! You are no longer enrolled in this school and will be given a private tutor from now on to continue your education." Mum said to me in a "this is final" kind of tone._

 _I was about to interject once again, but Dad decided to cut me off._

 _"We will talk about this tomorrow when we come to get you in the afternoon, Ginny. For now, just rest and recuperate."_

 _"But I …" I tried to say before, once again, I was interrupted._

 _"Not another word, Ginevra. Do as we say and rest. We will be by tomorrow to get your things. Now go to sleep." Mum said._

* * *

And that was the end of that conversation.

Mum and Dad just don't understand anything that went on this entire year. What's funny is that they decided to not listen to Dumbledore's claims about the Chamber of Secrets whatsoever. Even though the Headmaster repeatedly informed my parents that the diary contained the soul of Voldemort, and possessed me to do his bidding, Mum and Dad scoffed it off as a foolish attempt to keep me enrolled in the school. How could either of them not believe Dumbledore? It was baffling that my parents, who followed Dumbledore almost blindly, would now suddenly stop and question his supposed wisdom. Hypocrites.

There was only one thing that could have convinced them to go against Dumbledore's advice: Harry Potter. My betrothed, and now no longer my friend, though not by choice. As long as Harry Potter was in school, I wouldn't be. That was their biggest problem that they wanted me to avoid. So now that I am no longer enrolled in Hogwarts, I will be assigned a tutor to come on September 1st to continue my studies every single day. What 'joy' this will be. Trying to erase these negative thoughts from my mind, I finally broke myself out of bed and began working on my summer chores. There was a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in.

* * *

 ** _(Harry P.O.V.)_**

 **June 18th, 1993: Later That Day**

After getting a full breakfast in the Great Hall, I made my way back and stored my Nimbus 2000 in my trunk. Even though it will be two months before I can ride it again, I felt like I was leaving a friend behind, only to meet again sometime. By the time I came downstairs, Hermione was waiting to go to breakfast with me. I guess it wouldn't hurt to go back. No, I wasn't going to eat again. I just want to spend some time with my sister. We mainly just talked about Ginny. I sighed a lot during that conversation, but I couldn't help it. Hermione did ask what my relatives were like a few times, but I changed the conversation to ... well ... anything really. That was not a conversation I wanted to have right here. There were other people around and I didn't want them to hear what my life was like.

All too soon, I found myself alone with Hermione on the Hogwarts Express in a shared compartment later that afternoon. It was just the two of us, and no one else, which suited me just fine. The train was moving on quite fast and the view of the countryside was finally visible. It looked incredibly peaceful to look at. I wonder what it would be like to just head down there and not come back? Maybe one day I will live in the countryside. I looked over at Hermione and noticed she was reading next year's material in ancient runes. I don't know how Hermione feels about living in the countryside, but maybe she can find solitude out there as well.

I was interrupted from my thoughts by the trolly woman coming around. I wasn't entirely hungry, but I did want some magical sweets to have over the summer. I bought the entire lot again. I'm starting to think I'm her favorite customer because she always seems to stop by a few times even if I say no initially. Whatever. Might as well get used to the attention from her. The trolly woman is actually the only person that I like giving me a ton of attention. After indulging ourselves in a few pumpkin pasties, and some Bertie Botts, Hermione decided to break the silence. Looking back, I wonder how long she must have wanted to talk to me in private.

"Harry I want to talk to you about some things, but I don't want you to get upset. Okay?"

"Sure, Hermione. What's the matter?" I asked with some hesitation.

"Well, first I want to start with something positive. I want to thank you again for adopting me as your sister. Even after I lied to you for a whole year about our friendship, you still came in and saved me. That's three times now you've saved my life." Hermione said with a huge smile on her face.

"Three times? I only remember two."

"Yes, there were three. There was the Troll incident in the first year, then you stopped the basilisk attacks around the school, and now you adopted me when I could have been a pureblood's slave for all I know."

"I didn't save you from the basilisk attacks, Hermione. In case you forgot, you were petrified for about two months."

"Yes, but you did kill the basilisk. If you didn't, the snake could have come back and killed us all. I know you don't like to be given credit for your heroic acts, Harry, but you saved everyone in that school including me. That's why you saved me three times."

"Hermione it's nothing. Even if you weren't my friend, I would have probably tried to stop the attacks anyway. Also, don't worry about the past, okay? I understand why you did what you did, but I just want you to be honest with me from now on." I said while deciding to get up from my spot and then go to the seat near her.

"Don't worry Harry. I know trust is really important to you, and like I said I don't want to go down that route again with anyone. Now that we have that out of the way, I need you to do something for me."

"What does this have to do with what you wanted to ask me?"

"I have some things that need to be cleared up before we arrive in London. Firstly I want you to be honest with me as well at all times. Now that we are siblings, I am going to take things more personally if you decide to lie to me, or hide the truth, no matter how difficult it may be for me to hear. Can you promise to be honest with me no matter what?" Hermione hesitantly asked.

I stared into my sister's eyes and could tell she was completely serious with me. There was really only one thing to say, because after all, why would I ever want to lie to her?

"Of course, Hermione. You have my word. I promise to be honest no matter what happens."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Hermione said while she sighed in relief. "Now, that we have that out of the way, I want you to tell me about living with the Dursleys. What makes it so horrible to live with them? Why do you not want to go back every summer?"

 _"Damn. Of course, she had to ask the questions that I really didn't want to answer."_ I thought.

I tried to tell her but I couldn't. My throat kept closing up and the words were lodged in there nice and tight. I also knew that explaining my childhood to Hermione was going to be difficult. Every time she would try to get me to talk, I would close up immediately and beg for the subject to be changed. My childhood was not something I could discuss with anyone, well, I take that back. I did discuss this with Ginny because she was my first friend and I needed to confide in her. But that is a completely different scenario. It was nothing more than to get some of the stress I've been dealing with over the years off of me. I had no intention of telling anyone else, that is until today. Now that we are siblings, I know I can't keep this from Hermione any longer, especially since she will know exactly what our "home" will be like.

"Hermione I ..." I tried to say but nothing else was coming out of my mouth.

This is ridiculous. I should be able to tell my sister about my past. Why can't I tell her? This is the only subject that I can't talk about to other people when asked. When it was with Ginny, the truth came out unexpectedly and wasn't planned. Maybe it's because I'm embarrassed or afraid someone will find out and make me more of an outcast than I already am. I really don't like talking about my past.

"I know this is difficult Harry, but I need to know what I'm getting myself into. Please. Talk to me." Hermione pleaded while rubbing my back a little.

I nodded in response and tried to gather all of my Gryffindor courage at that moment. I closed my eyes and prepared to calm myself. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Ok. I think I'm ready. Let's do this before I change my mind.

"Hermione the Dursleys may be my only living relatives, but I wish they never existed. Ever since I've been dropped off on their front doorstep as a baby, my life has been a living hell. Those three vile beings think it's acceptable for me to be beaten so bad that my skin is bloody, or for me to be starved so much that I might have died from lack of nutrients at any second. There is nothing that can be said about the Dursleys that is pleasant. They only care about themselves, which is fine with me because it only meant that I wouldn't get my hopes up of them changing." I said. After I was done I looked at Hermione.

"I want to apologize for what may happen this summer, Hermione. If we were allowed to use magic then our lives would be so much better. If we were old enough, we could get away. We would go far away from those bastards and never come back." I said before stopping once more. I took in a huge breath then continued.

"Hermione I need you to tell me if any of those disgusting creatures ever lay a hand on you. I don't care how small or large the issue is. Now that you're my sister, I will protect you from everything and anything possible. I don't care if I have to go to Azkaban, I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise." I proclaimed.

"Thank you for being honest, Harry. I already know you care, but it means a lot to hear you say it. However, I don't want you to go to Azkaban under any circumstances, even for me. Now about the Dursleys; don't worry about them, Harry. I can take care of myself. You know I can. Do we understand one another?" Hermione asked seriously with a tone that reminded me of Mrs. Weasley when disciplining Ron.

"Yes. Yes, I understand." I said nervously.

"Good. Now I want to ask something else. You did say that your childhood was never wished on anyone, but are you sure you aren't overreacting a little? There must have been some good memories, right? What did you do for fun at your relatives?" Hermione asked.

"Overreacting? Why in the world would I make that up? I never had fun there, Hermione! The only thing that was considered "fun" was when I was locked in my cupboard under the stairs just so I could get away from them. Just being alone in the dark with no one but myself was a complete joy! Whenever the Dursleys did something fun together, I was never allowed to go unless they couldn't find a babysitter. Then after I joined them, they always tried to blame me for anything that slightly bad happened during the day."

"Wait, Harry, hold on. Your room was a cupboard under the stairs?" Hermione asked.

"Yes."

"How big was the cupboard? Could you fit in it?"

"It could fit me, but I would have had more room if the cleaning supplies had been removed." I replied.

"How long did you live under the stairs?"

I mumbled my answer in a way that Hermione couldn't hear at first.

"What was that, Harry?"

"The cupboard was my room until I turned eleven."

"WHAT? YOUR ROOM WAS UNDER THE STAIRS FOR ELEVEN YEARS?" Hermione screamed with a venomous rage.

"Woah, Hermione. Calm down." I stated to my sister. It took several minutes before the glowing red hatred in her eyes disappeared.

"Okay. I think I am fine now. Please continue, Harry."

"My room for eleven years was under the stairs, but I did eventually get a new room. Technically it was the moment Hagrid came and took me to Hogwarts, but I officially got my own room when I returned after my first year of school. Because of my overwhelming amount of "freakish-ness", it was too much for the cupboard to handle, so they gave me Dudley's old toy room. They didn't even bother to clean out his old toys before I moved in." I admitted.

I could tell Hermione was doing her best to contain her anger, but she really did seem like the anger volcano was going to erupt at any moment.

"Please don't get upset, Hermione. I have my own room now and I'm pretty sure you will get one for yourself too."

"I'm not mad about that, Harry. I can't believe those people could be so cruel. Then again, who am I to judge? My parents didn't want me once I became a witch, so I guess I can say I do know what its like to live with people who despise you. I really sorry this happened to you, Harry. They may technically be my relatives now, but I swear, by magic or no, that I will not put up with this abuse towards you anymore. Their vindictive ways are over, Harry. Starting right now." Hermione said while getting up from her seat to reach her trunk above her head.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I need to send a letter to Dumbledore. After hearing everything you told me, I think I'm going to change my mind."

"What does that mean? Did you make another deal with Dumbledore? You said you would be honest with me!" I exclaimed with a bit of anger and hurt.

"Stop it, Harry! Calm down and hear me out. Yes, I did make another deal with Dumbledore, but this one has no drawbacks. Since I was forced to live with your Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin, Dumbledore offered to make things simpler for us in case anything went bad. I originally told him there would be no need to accept his deal, but as of now, I've changed my mind."

I began raising an eyebrow at that statement.

"And what does that mean, Hermione?" I asked. Hermione had a look on her face that reminded me of a sly cheshire cat.

"You'll see Harry. Hopefully, Dumbledore can make it happen before we arrive in London." Hermione answered.

A few minutes later, Hermione finished her letter and unlocked Hedwig from her cage. My sister asked politely to Hedwig if this letter could be delivered urgently, to which my feathery friend squeaked with happiness. As I saw my owl fly out of the compartment window, I kept wondering what was going to happen before we arrived in the train station.

* * *

 ** _(Ron P.O.V.)_**

 **June 20th, 1993:**

Ever since I was brought back to the Burrow it has been a nightmare. When Ginny was taken from Hogwarts and sent home, I was given the option to come back as well the following day by my parents. It didn't take me long to come up with my answer, and I knew things would be great once we could all put this stressful event behind us. None of that happened whatsoever.

Things became tense as soon as Mum and Dad came to pick me up from Hogwarts. I was honestly surprised that Mum (Dad just went along with it) withdrew Ginny from Hogwarts at all. It seems my parents will hire a tutor to teach my sister for the rest of her education. She was only in school for one year, and now Ginny won't ever get to go back to Hogwarts.

Not that I care too much about school, but if Ginny is going to be at home until she graduates, how in the world is she going to survive? It's not like Mum and Dad are always easy to get along with, especially Mum when she is in one of her moods. Besides how can they afford a tutor for the next six years. Mum and Dad can barely afford to send George, Fred, Percy and I to school as it is! That's not the worst part though.

Mum has gone completely insane around the Burrow. Well more insane than usual. She makes Ginny do tons of chores throughout the day so she doesn't get into any 'trouble' as she claims it. What does that mean anyway? What kind of trouble could my sister even get in to? Ginny isn't a bad person, but I don't think she should be punished this much for opening the Chamber of Secrets. She claimed it wasn't her fault, and I believe her. Well, there are parts of her story that I believe.

How could a diary have that much power over someone? Dumbledore mentioned that this book had someone's soul in it, but I think he was joking. There's no way that a harmless diary could possess Ginny. I think Dumbledore is covering up whoever possessed my sister in order to protect them. Maybe Harry really was the Heir of Slytherin after all and was the one who controlled Ginny. Then he wiped her memory so that it would seem like he was a hero! That makes so much sense! I am so smart I surprise myself sometimes!

Back to the subject at hand: Since Mum is being strict on Ginny's punishments, the rest of us boys are not allowed to assist her or help her in any way. If we do, then our Quidditch brooms will be taken away for a week. I had to learn this the hard way, unfortunately. Fred and George have been assisting her in any way they can, but they haven't gotten caught yet.

Ginny has become entirely miserable since she came back. She doesn't eat that much anymore, she normally does all the chores that are assigned to her, goes to her room, and then doesn't come out until the next day. What's her problem? Is she depressed about school? Why would she? It's not like she had any friends. I should know, I'm her brother after all. I mean the only person that may actually be her friend is Hermione Granger, but I don't think this is very likely. I know that nerd and Ginny don't get along that well. The only other person that she may miss is Potter, and that seems more likely than that nerdy Granger.

Harry has been sending me letters the last few days in order to try and get to know me better. I wasn't going to fall for any of his Slytherin tricks, so I decided to play along and just let him believe that I want to be friends. I'm only doing this for Ginny. If she hadn't suffered so much because of Potter, then I would have just avoided that no good snake entirely. I was afraid that Mum would see that I'm contacting Potter but thankfully she doesn't really care about the letters I send out. She just assumes its for Seamus or Dean. The thing that really bothers me about this guy is that he always asks me to deliver a message to Ginny. The bloke even tried sending a letter to Ginny along with mine in hopes that she would get it. Nice try, Potter. I know you're just waiting to get your fangs into Ginny again, so I took your letter to Mum. She immediately destroyed the letter and Ginny never found out what was inside.

The more I kept thinking about it, the more my theories about Potter made sense. Why else would he want to talk to Ginny unless he was up to something? Would he want trick my sister so they could be friends? This whole thing stinks of a Slytherin plot to get to somehow, and I don't intend to let Potter get any info out of me. Normally in my letters, I would just ignore his request to send information along to Ginny, and even when he kept asking in later letters, I still ignored him. I guess the good news is that Ginny doesn't even seem to want to talk to Harry at all. Whenever his name is mentioned around the house, my sister drops everything and runs into her room to cry. That confirms it for me. Harry did do something to her!

For the time being my plan is simple. All I have to do is get Potter's friendship, and in return, he will tell me about himself. Once he lets his guard down, I can use his weaknesses later to my advantage. If he wants my friendship then he'll have it, but I'll always have the upper hand. We may be friends on the surface, but in actuality, we are mortal enemies. I won't tell that psychopath anything about Ginny. It's the only way to save her from that Potter brat.

* * *

 ** _(Harry P.O.V.)_**

 **June 18th, 1993: Much Later That Day**

The Hogwarts Express was, unfortunately, pulling into the station which led to Platform 9 & 3/4, and my heart sank a little. I left my home, my only home actually, to spend a few grueling months with people who I really wish I wasn't related to. As the train came to a stop, I saw the other students departing happily and grab their things to go meet their loved ones. Oh, how I envy them. I guess I was brooding too much because Hermione decided to snap me out of my train of thought and nearly drag me off the train.

"Come on Harry," Hermione said while pulling my arm with gritted teeth. "you can't stay on the train forever."

"I know, Hermione. I just don't want to get off. If I leave this compartment, then my summer starts and you'll suffer with me."

I then received a hug from my sister and she calmed me down for a moment. It lasted too short for my liking. When we released I was able to form a small smile that was greatly accepted by Hermione.

"Don't worry little brother. I have a feeling this will be a great summer to remember. You'll see. Just trust me. Okay?"

"Who are you calling little brother?" I asked playfully.

"You, Potter, are the little brother and I am the big sister. Deal with it." Hermione said while playfully sticking her tongue back out at me.

"So you've only been my sister for a short time, and now you feel you can start making demands."

"That's right. And since I'm older, you have no choice but to listen to me."

"Oh is that so, Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry, it is. If you don't, I won't help you with your potions essay." She said. I teasingly gasped.

"You wouldn't! That's too cruel, Hermione."

"Then I suggest you listen to me, little brother."

"Fine. We'll play it your way for now."

"I'm glad you see things my way. Now come on. We need to get off the Hogwarts Express!"

I nodded my head and then grabbed my belongings. Hermione began walking out of the train and I was following behind her but going a little slower than she was. When we finally approached the barrier to Platform 9 & 3/4, I tried listening for the sounds of shouting from one very fat muggle. There wasn't any screaming or yelling. What is going on here? Did the Dursleys not show up? I began searching for my estranged family and finally noticed the three of them were far in the back of the station. My relatives were wearing blank expressions back at Hermione and me without saying a word. At first, I thought this was an exaggerated ploy that would result in them blowing up later at home. As I got closer, I noticed that something was really off with them. All three members of the Dursleys were standing straight forward and looking off into space instead of in the eyes of me or Hermione.

"Uncle Vernon?" I asked the fat lumpy man. I received no answer.

"Aunt Petunia?" I asked the skinny woman but got no response either.

I then started waving my hand in front of their faces but nothing was happening. Were they zombies or something? What in the world was going on here?

"Ah good. It seems Dumbledore has agreed to help us after all." Hermione exclaimed from behind me. "I think you're going to enjoy this, Harry."

"What's going on, Hermione? Not that I'm complaining or anything, but why are the Dursleys like this?" I asked in confusion.

"Remember about the deal with Dumbledore?" She asked. I nodded in response. "When I sent the letter to Dumbledore I mentioned to him what your family life was like and I convinced him that something needs to be done to these animals. You yourself said that you were treated like dirt and forced to become their slave. I am only making this punishment applicable to your relatives.

"Could you translate that into English, Hermione? I still don't understand what's going on here." I admitted. She sighed.

"Sometimes you really are thick, Harry. I wanted to make this summer easier for us, so I had Dumbledore turn your relatives into zombies."

I think my eyes grew to the size of saucers at this revelation.

"You mean they won't attack us? They won't yell, scream, force us to work to the bone, or even call us names?" I asked hopefully.

"All that and more, Harry. In fact, I would advise you to take advantage as much as possible. I know you're not one to enjoy revenge lightly, but considering what these creatures have done to you over the years, I think the punishments will fit the crime. Don't you think?" Hermione asked me.

I turned my back to Hermione and looked back into the soulless eyes of my aunt, uncle, and cousin. After seeing their lifeless expressions in front of me for a moment, I knew the crimes against me were more than made up for what could or would be done to them while being my slaves.

"Yes. Yes, I do Hermione." I said. I then went over to her and gave Hermione an extremely thankful hug. "Come now. Let's make this summer a great one."

Hermione nodded and then ordered the Dursleys to pick up our luggage and carry it to the car. The three of them were hulking their way back to the car, and I found it extremely funny to witness considering Hermione made her luggage twice as heavy thanks to a simple weight charm. Once I learned what she did, the both of us laughed uncontrollably. My relatives then wordlessly went into the car and Hermione and I followed suit in the back. With all of us strapped in, the car started moving back to the house we would live in for the next few months. I knew immediately that I would have to send a thank you letter to Dumbledore as soon as I possibly could. This was without a doubt the greatest gift I have ever received in my entire life, and I was going to make this summer, and every summer that follows, a pleasant one for me and my sister.

* * *

 **A/N: Another chapter is done. Just a heads up: This is the last of the older chapters I had to completely redo from earlier. Everything else that I post from now on is brand new content.**

 **If you want to review this story or share it, please do so. Thanks for reading and have a great day.**


	7. Chapter 7: New Changes

**Disclaimer:** This story is 100% alternate universe and most, if not all, of the characters in this story are out of character as well. Also I don't own anything by J.K. Rowling and I am not trying to steal her characters, plots, or moments within the books that she has written. This is my own story and I also claim to not copy off of anyone else's work either in the process.

Please note that throughout this story, the characters will occasionally break the fourth wall. These sections will be represented in **bold** lettering.

 **What Happened Previously:** Harry is upset about returning to the Dursleys for the summer, but is surprised when he and Hermione arrive at the station. Ginny is not enjoying her time at home since she will be homeschooled from now on. Ron is concerned about his new friendship with Harry Potter.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: New Changes**

 _ **(Harry P.O.V.)**_

 **July 25th, 1993:**

It's been a week since I came home for the summer vacation and the nightmares haven't stopped. I keep seeing myself inside the Chamber of Secrets and the dreams seem so real that it feels like I'm having visions. Sometimes I can see from my perspective where I try to defeat Tom and the Basilisk but I get poisoned to death, and other times I can see from her point of view where I am on the floor and constantly die from the Basilisk. The worst dreams are when I am projected as Tom Riddle and I awaken the monster of the chamber. Tom sends the massive basilisk after "me" and I always run away but the snake somehow catches me. It doesn't matter how far I go or how well my hiding spot is because it seems like the serpent knows where I constantly am.

When I wake from the nightmare, I seem to be covered in sweat. My throat is also hoarse from the amount of screaming I do. Since these nightmares happen so much, I often find my clothes damp. The feeling makes me feel slimy and disgusting. If the hour is early enough, I will take a shower, but I know that taking one will disturb Hermione so I try my best not to. On the first night back to the Dursleys, Hermione heard me screaming and came in to see what was the matter. I had to tell her what happened, but I didn't like it. I felt weak for admitting that a silly dream could cause me to have a horrific reaction. After the third night in a row of screaming from nightmares, Hermione decided to put a silencing charm around my door. I know she wasn't annoyed, but the screaming could have woken up the neighbors and then they could have called the police.

While I may not be possessed, I feel that these vision dreams are damn near close. I have no idea how she could have survived Tom's control for so long. It was roughly a year since she first received the diary, and the poor girl had to resist this evil soul inside of her. What's more is that she had to do it all on her own because no one helped her. Not her brothers, not her friends, and certainly not me. Tom may have prevented her from saying anything, but I will never know. I know she told me that it wasn't my fault for not noticing what was happening, but I am adamant that it was. I let my anger towards her distract me from the clear signs that something was wrong. I even remember there were times when she tried to tell me something only to run away and I wouldn't see her for a while. What the hell is wrong with me

* * *

 **August 25th, 1993:**

My summer was fantastic with my relatives and new sister. Since Dumbledore was gracious enough to put them under our control, I found that Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and even Dudley, would do anything that Hermione or I asked. Thankfully the Dursleys will not remember any of this. They'll just believe they tortured me for another few months.

At first, it was incredibly weird since I'm used to my uncle being on the verge of a stroke from his intense anger, but now he only gives me a blank stare. The spell makes him act like a robotic slave. Whenever I ask him to do something, Uncle Vernon would give simple answers like "Yes master" or "Okay master". My aunt and cousin reacted the same way, but I tended to ask my uncle for things more often because it was absolutely ridiculous to watch him do anything for me. Normally Uncle Vernon is incredibly lazy except when he has to go to work. So whenever he goes to get me a drink, for example, he wobbles over to the fridge, fumbles with his fat fingers trying to get a glass, and then moves robotically with his movements to pour water in my cup.

Hermione didn't think it was as funny as me but laughed occasionally whenever the neighbors tried to talk to my relatives. I remember one instance in particular where our neighbor Mr. Roberts came to the door and asked my aunt if he could borrow their lawnmower. She gave a very basic response which was odd for her since she would normally chat for long periods of time to people. Mr. Roberts asked if she was feeling okay, but Aunt Petunia's response was so robotic it nearly made me die of laughter.

"Yes, neighbor. There is no cause for concern. I am well. Thank you for asking. I will go now. Goodbye." My aunt replied.

The summer went by too quickly for Hermione and me. A few days ago we received an unexpected visit from Dumbledore. The headmaster brought the latest issue of the daily prophet with him that detailed the escape of the murderer Sirius Black. Dumbledore asked me if I knew who he was, but I had never heard of him before. From what Professor Dumbledore told me, Sirius Black was one of Voldemort's most loyal supporters. He gave the Dark Lord information of where my parents were staying because he was their Secret Keeper. That means he was the only one who knew where my parents were because of some kind of spell. I can't remember the name of that spell right now. After he betrayed my parents, Sirius Black went on a short killing spree and even killed another one of my parents' other friends, Peter Pettigrew. When Black was done, the only thing that remained of Pettigrew was a finger. That's not all though. The crazed lunatic decided he didn't have enough bloodlust for one night, and turned his attention to thirteen nearby muggles and massacred them.

How could someone do such a thing? Why would someone do such a thing? I find it unbelievable that anyone could turn out that heartless. After thinking about that Death Eater scum, my blood began to boil and my vision turned red. I hate Sirius Black. I hate everything about him and, if we ever do meet, I don't care if I have to take him down with me. I will avenge my parents and Peter Pettigrew no matter what. I swear it.

Hermione could see that I was understandably upset, but she kept her distance from me for a few hours after Dumbledore had left. One of the things that really bothered me about Hermione for the last few years was that she never knew when to stop prying right away. Now it seems that over this summer she has started listening to my request. When I had taken the time to calm down, Hermione came over and gave me a hug. I happily returned it.

"Harry, I can't imagine what this must be like for you, but I want you to know that I'm always here to talk and listen. We're siblings now. Brothers and sisters help each other with their problems. I won't ask you to tell me how you're feeling, but I would like you to confide in me at some point. Okay?"

I only nodded back. I could tell Hermione would have liked me to say what I was feeling immediately, but I'm glad she didn't ask. I didn't mean to be rude, but I don't think she's the right person to talk to about Sirius Black. What I need is someone who was Sirius' friend, and can explain why he turned to the darkness. I don't think I will find that person soon. If anyone out there was his friend, the smart thing to do would be to never mention him at all. They'd probably be too upset or embarrassed to say anything.

Hermione decided not to say anything more about Sirius Black for the rest of the summer. We would usually get ahead in our school work for the next term, or go out on walks around the neighborhood. We'd talk about everything and anything, which was just fine with me. It's nice to have a true friend I can rely on and be around. I know we're family now, but I will always think of Hermione as a best friend first, and a sister second. Maybe this feeling is only temporary.

* * *

 **September 1st, 1993:**

A week after Dumbledore's visit, I was sent back to school on the Hogwarts Express with Hermione. This time was a little different from the other train rides because aside from Professor Lupin sleeping in the corner, I had two other people join us in our compartment: Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom. It may have sounded strange for us to let Ron inside our space, but things have changed. Last year I hated this guy's guts for how much he would pick on Hermione and me. Thankfully the both of us got to know one another a lot better over the summer. He's actually a pretty okay bloke, but a little rough around the edges.

I don't know much about Neville Longbottom, but he seems to be okay. The only thing I would like to fix is his confidence because there doesn't seem to be much. It's strange that he would be sorted into Gryffindor while being extremely shy. Hermione has spent time with him in the library before, so I suppose he can't be all bad. I did notice that Neville would stare at Hermione often when he thought the rest of us weren't paying attention. I can tell he has a crush on her. Am I upset about this? No. I'm not my sister's overprotective brother and I'm not going to tell her what she can and can't do. If Hermione and Neville do end up going out someday, then I'll give him one warning about hurting her, but that's all.

At first, Hermione was a little uneasy about having Ron in the compartment with us, but as the trip continued onward, she started to ease up. I don't think Ron and Hermione will ever be the closest of friends since their personalities are complete opposites, but I'm grateful that my sister is at least giving him a chance. Hermione didn't seem to mind Neville being there. I don't think they're really good friends yet, but I think she's starting to warm up to him. I wonder if Hermione feels the same way about Neville? Maybe I should give Neville that talk soon.

The four of us had a pretty great time. Well, Ron, Neville and I did. Hermione eventually tuned us out and read one of her massive books while us boys played a lot of exploding snap. My sister did join us a few times, but she would get frustrated frequently and return to her book. I don't know why, but Ron saw this as annoying. If she wants to read her book, then he has no right to stop her. I had to tell Ron to knock it off a few times, but he eventually got the message. Hermione seemed grateful each time I stood up for her. I'm guessing she still has some self-doubt from the way her parents treated her.

At the welcoming feast, Hermione and I watched as the new students were sorted into their houses. I think the Slytherin House got the least amount of students this year with eight, while the Ravenclaws had twelve first years. Twelve new students? Wow, that's a lot of geniuses. During the ceremony, I did get a little bit upset. I saw a first-year girl with an insane amount of red hair that reminded me of ... well ... it doesn't matter. She won't be coming back to Hogwarts, and it's unlikely I will ever see or hear from her again since her parents refused to let her return. That and she can't even send me a letter. Hermione did see my discomfort when that little girl went up to the front and put her hand on my shoulder as if to say _"I'm sorry Harry."_ What's really sad is I can't even say her name anymore. If I do, I wallow in my sadness for hours and usually snap at anyone who wants to talk to me.

I'll admit it did hurt seeing someone who reminded me of her, but I'm going to try and take Hermione's advice. Since she isn't here, I have to try and put my best foot forward every day. I think Hermione is having a hard time without her too but tends not to show it. From what I learned, the two of them became friends at the end of last year. It's unfair that she's gone. I thought she would return next year, now being this year, but Dumbledore informed me that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were adamant on her staying home from now on. Hearing that information really hurt me. I thought that Dumbledore could do something to help me, or even help her out, but since she was a minor, the headmaster had to respect the elder Weasley's wishes.

The sorting ended shortly after that red haired girl was sorted. She was placed in Hufflepuff by the way. I honestly don't even remember the little girl's name, nor did I care to. As we began to eat, Hermione started talking to me about which classes she was taking. I'm sorry. My mistake. Which classes we're both taking. Over the summer, Hermione and I were able to talk to Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape about me switching one of my classes from Divination to, well, anything else really.

The so-called professor of Divination, Trelawney, consistently found it necessary to predict my death on a daily basis. Most people said that she was a fraud, but I had a different experience than others. It was getting a little insane because the details she described were from past attacks that already happened. For example, one day she had foreseen that I would be killed by a giant snake. Well, I almost did, but that prediction was just a coincidence considering it didn't happen at the time. Sometime later, Professor Trelawney said a spider and its children would try to eat me. Again this hadn't happened at the time, but this was getting scary now with how accurate she was. Finally, the professor said that someone I cared about would be abducted, and to try and find that person would surely lead to my death. I wanted to get the hell out of that class at the end of the second year. If I had stayed, the professor would have said something ridiculous like me falling off my broom in a rainstorm and die. I shuddered at that thought. Thankfully Hermione agreed with my decision to let drop the class. I think my sister only said this because she did not have the gift of sight at all, and this aggravated her to no end.

Dumbledore was able to transfer me into Ancient Runes with Hermione. Since I missed two years of work, it will be a struggle for me to catch up, but since Hermione is a genius and extremely thoughtful she volunteered to help me. It took all summer to be caught up with the other kids in that class, but I was able to take the placement exam, and pass, right before I came back to Hogwarts. I thank all that is Salazar that I passed.

Hermione told me during dinner that she was given the chance to receive a time turner, by Professor McGonagall of all people, to take extra classes this year. It sounded like a good idea at first, but after thinking it over, Hermione would have an extra 1-2 classes a day and it would kill her with the homework load. This would also give her a loss of sleep, and possibly take a toll on her sanity. She reluctantly agreed with me, but I could tell Hermione was disappointed. I don't care honestly. I will not stand by while she pushes herself too hard just to learn more. There's always time for knowledge, but never enough time to enjoy being a kid.

I was surprised when Dumbledore asked me to join him in his office after the welcoming feast. When I arrived, the headmaster tried to give me a lemon drop. I really don't care for those candies. After talking about the new year a little, Dumbledore went straight to business. He apologized to me.

* * *

 _"I don't understand, sir. Why are you apologizing?" I asked._

 _"I am apologizing because of what I did, Harry. You've had such a hard life, and most of this is because of me."_

 _"You mean the Dursley's, sir?"_

 _"Yes, Harry. I thought that by placing you with your aunt and uncle, you would be safe from any attacks from dark wizards while you were away from Hogwarts. I did not realize you were being mistreated by your own family until it was too late. By then you were already twelve. That's a lot of years I have to make up for, Harry."_

 _"Why was I sent to live with them, sir?"_

 _"Are you familiar with blood wards, Harry?" Dumbledore asked me. I shook my head in response._

 _"Blood wards are the best protection ever discovered by magic. The wards are created using a small amount of blood from the parent to protect the child. With these wards in place, no one could touch you from the outside. Since your mother was a curse breaker for Gringotts, her blood was stored on record. I used that small amount to create the strongest wards possible around the Dursley's home so that you would be safe."_

 _"A lot of good that did me." I said as sarcastically as possible._

 _"I do realize the seriousness of my actions, Harry, and I hope that we can put this matter behind us."_

 _I sighed and looked directly at the old man. The usual twinkle in his eyes was gone. That was odd to me. He seemed genuinely concerned about my well being, so I decided to not make him squirm from the guilt._

 _"I understand, sir. You were only trying to do your best for me."_

 _"Thank you, Harry. Now that we have that mess cleared up, there is something else I wish to discuss with you."_

 _"And what would that be, sir?"_

 _"I want to talk to you about Miss Weasley."_

 _"What about her?"_

 _"I don't know if this is my place to say, Harry, but since I do have a lot to make up for, I will do my best to keep communication between you both as open as possible. Please realize that I will be going behind the backs of Arthur and Molly Weasley, so I urge you to keep this information to yourself."_

 _"Even from Hermione, sir?"_

 _"Yes, Harry. Even from Hermione."_

* * *

I thought Dumbledore would tell me something earth-shattering, but that didn't happen. He told me that he had tried everything possible for her to stay, but was pulled out anyway. There was nothing Dumbledore could have done to change their minds. I already knew this. The headmaster somehow found it necessary to mention it again, and I found it to be a little annoying. The old man then muttered something about her getting a less than acceptable education since she will not be at Hogwarts any longer. I'm not worried about her education. From what I heard from Ron, his sister was getting private tutoring until she "graduates". Heh. Yeah right. Her parents will never let her go because of what happened in the Chamber.

I was starting to wonder why the old man would even mention he would keep communication between the two of us open when Dumbledore finally got to the point. Even though Mr. and Mrs. Weasley did remove their daughter from the school, there may be a way for her to come back. The chances of success would be slim, but he wanted me to know regardless. When I asked what that idea was, Dumbledore chose to remain silent. I guess that was to be expected. Dumbledore does use a lot of riddles to express his point, so why should this time be any different?

While none of this was my fault, I can't help but feel responsible for my friend's outcome. I should have done more and noticed that she wasn't acting like her normal self since the first day. But no. I had to sulk and just assume she was constantly mad at me and Hermione for everything. How could I have been so stupid? She was never like that before ever. I know her to be a sweet, sensitive, and downright amazing girl. If I could have just stopped and thought about it for one second, then she would still be here.

It wasn't her fault for opening the Chamber of Secrets! Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are absolutely wrong about what their daughter was going through. How would they have fared if they were the ones possessed by Voldemort? I'm guessing they wouldn't have lasted anywhere near as long! Besides, that diary was pure evil. Even I could sense how dark it was. Didn't that mean the Weasleys could as well? Those blind fools are going to lose their daughter in the end, and maybe then, they'll see the error of their ways! I wasn't going to hold my breath, however.

I was starting to get a little uncomfortable in the headmaster's office while thinking about her, so I asked to leave. As I was about to walk out of Dumbledore's office, the headmaster told me to wait. The old wizard almost forgot to give me something. He reached inside his desk and gave me a letter from her. It apparently came with a gift because the envelope was heavy. I opened the letter and read what was written down.

I could scarcely believe what I read. I already knew that her parents had withdrawn her from Hogwarts, but to learn that they blamed me for their daughter's corruption made my blood boil. How was any of this my fault? Tom was the one using her, but the Weasleys decided it would be better to blame it all on me instead. It figures they would do such a thing because their minds apparently label all Slytherins as evil. The letter continued to say it may be a long time before we see each other again, and I had expected this. Her parents were going to do everything possible to keep us apart. At the bottom, she signed her name and gave a final mention that she would never forget me and hopefully someday we can be with one another soon.

When the letter finished, I looked inside the envelope to see what was given to me. The gift made my heart sink. I saw the phoenix flower bracelet that I made for her almost a year ago. With my emotions in distress, I clutched the bracelet in my hand as I walked out of Dumbledore's office complete in silence. I didn't tell anyone what she had said to me in that letter. Not even Hermione. I know I made a promise to Dumbledore to not mention what was discussed in his office, but I still wouldn't have told Hermione anyway. When I arrived in my dorm room, I finally put the bracelet on my right hand. I stored the letter away for safe keeping so that I could always read it. I've read that letter at least once a day ever since then.

* * *

 **September 3rd, 1993:**

I've only been a few days back at Hogwarts, and I'm already getting the feeling that this year is going to be extremely dangerous for not only me, but for most of the other students as well. Some lunatic in the Ministry of Magic thought it would be a good idea to bring the foul creatures known as Dementors into the school to keep a lookout for Sirius Black, the mass murderer who escaped Azkaban prison. Those things make me shiver with fear. I've heard from our newest professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Remus Lupin, that Dementors make you relieve your worst nightmares, and in some cases, suck out your soul from a kiss. I believed him since it already happened to me.

At some point during our train ride, we were unexpectedly stopped and everything turned cold. The lights stopped working and all of us were surrounded by darkness. Then, from out of nowhere, a boney hand pulled our compartment door open and we could all feel the creature's presence. The Dementor focused most of its attention on me and I could feel him trying to suck out my life force. I was saved by Professor Lupin after he muttered some kind of spell. I, unfortunately, relived the experience of seeing my parents die when I was only one year old. The last thing I remember before I woke up was my mother screaming from the pain.

Professor Lupin explained that Sirius Black is the reason why the Dementors were on the train and would be around the school. He claimed it was for our protection but I don't think anyone would be safe with those creatures around. I have no idea why Sirius Black would even bother to come to Hogwarts anyway. Hogwarts is extremely safe for us because of all the security wards around the castle. Or at least it should be. That's what Dumbledore says anyway. To imagine someone getting in past the wards of the school is ridiculous to fathom. Then again, crazier things have happened around here. In my first two years of school a possessed professor tried to resurrect Voldemort, and then the memory of Tom Riddle tried to come back to life. I guess fighting a Dementor is going to be the crazy thing that happens this year. Either that or Sirius Black will kill me somehow.

The next two days passed by pretty quickly. Nothing much happened on either day, except for this morning when Ron received some mail from his parents. I could tell that he was excited to get this mail, and when he opened it up he ran right over to Hermione and me to show what it was. He then threw the item near our seats at the Slytherin table.

"Told you!" Ron exclaimed at me. He then sat down in front of the both of us with a huge smirk on his face.

My sister and I looked at what Ron was talking about. Wow, I guess I was wrong. Ok, let me back up. On the train, Ron said that his family won a contest over the summer for one thousand galleons, and they used that money to go on a trip to Egypt to visit Bill Weasley, the oldest son. Since they won the contest, the Weasleys were pictured in the Daily Prophet. That's the item that Ron threw at us by the way.

The picture in the paper is not entirely what I am referring to though. I believed Ron when he said their picture was in the Daily Prophet, but the other claim about it sounded maddening to me. On the train, Ron stated that the Chudley Cannons Quidditch Team were having a skirmish match not far away from their picture location. You could see the faint shapes of brooms and players near the upper horizon. In case that wasn't enough, the next page of the Daily Prophet detailed how the Chudley Cannons had taken a short vacation in Egypt before their upcoming match at the time.

Naturally, Hermione and I didn't believe him, so we scoffed the idea as Ron trying to show off. Ron kept persisting it was true, however, and eventually, I gave in and bet him five galleons that this was exaggerated. It seems we were both wrong, however, since Ron just provided the proof. Great. Now I'm out five galleons.

* * *

 **September 20th, 1993:**

I am constantly being followed by Kaitlynn Weiss. She's the first year girl that was sorted into Hufflepuff at the end of the sorting ceremony. She was also the same girl who reminds me of "her" thanks to the noticeable freckles and vibrant red hair. **Yes, it's still hard to say her name.**

Ever since the second day of school, I've found Kaitlynn around a lot more than I should. It took a week or so, but I started to pick up on her habits of following me. It also helped that her shoes were incredibly noisy. It was starting to get a little irritating that she was becoming almost like a shadow. A few days ago I decided to put an end to this, and confront her about following me.

At first, Kaitlynn denied it but told the truth when she saw that I was not kidding around. When she admitted to following me, I asked why. She told me her name and explained that she had never met a celebrity before. That made me a little-pissed off. I can't stand it when people gawk at me for being famous. I realized that she is a little girl and probably doesn't know any better, but I don't want this kind of attention from anyone. I told Kaitlynn that I was not going to let her continue to follow me, or I would report her to Professor Sprout. She seemed sorry and went on her way after that.

The second Kaitlynn left I felt bad for her. I know I had just told her to stop following me, but she seemed sweet. Maybe I'll talk to her again when I get over the fact that she only saw me as a celebrity. I could use more friends that see me as just Harry Potter instead of Harry Potter: the Boy-Who-Lived.

I tried to stay focused on school work for the last few weeks, and not just wallow in my own depression all the time. I think Hermione noticed my actions because she would often give me a smile that clearly hinted as saying: _"I'm proud of you, Harry._ ". On the surface, I was doing my best to stay attentive and just put my best foot forward. It wasn't working. Whenever I'm alone, I just try to sleep off my feelings. It never works.

* * *

 **November 1st, 1993:**

Something really scary happened last night, and this time it didn't happen to me! **Look I know that was a little rude, but you have to admit that I am attracted to danger even if I don't go searching for it.** The incident happened last night in the Gryffindor Common Room of all places. Apparently, Sirius Black had found a way inside the Hogwarts Castle and tore up the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. I don't understand. Why would he even bother going there if I was his target? It was pretty much common knowledge that I was in Slytherin, thanks to the stupid Daily Prophet, and my house common room is in the dungeons underneath the castle. **Ok the more I talk like this, the more it makes me sound like I have a huge ego. Just deal with it for now.**

Anyway, Sirius Black was able to escape with something from the Gryffindor Common Room. It turns out that the Weasley Twins, Fred and George, had a special piece of parchment called The Marauder's Map. When activated by a certain phrase, the map revealed its contents and showed an entire layout of the school. With the map, you could see anyone at any place in the castle no matter what they were doing. Along with that, the map could also show every single passageway and secret exits out of the castle. Now while this map is pretty interesting, it's extremely worrisome that it's now in the hands of that murderous psychopath.

You're probably wondering why I know any of this. The answer is simple. The Weasley twins told me. Since I was getting along pretty well with Ron, the twins warmed up to me a little. Percy is still lost to me because he always gives me a look that reads _"You're nothing more than pond scum"_. I do try to talk to him sometimes, but he always ignores me. It's completely obvious he will never see me as anything more than a snake worshiper. Fine Percy. I never liked you anyway.

The really strange thing was that Sirius Black was originally trying to go after a pet rat that was owned by Ron Weasley. Ron noticed that Black kept asking for Scabbers over and over again, but he refused to hand over the family pet. As soon as other students started to arrive, Black escaped but took that special map with him on the way out. Why did he want Scabbers? Was he just hungry or something and wanted to eat the rat? I'm sure staying in prison made him insane and he just broke in looking for whatever he could find. Man, this guy is a sicko.

Regardless of what happened, Dumbledore ordered an evacuation of the dormitories and made all of the students stay in the Great Hall for the night. We were told to sleep in sleeping bags and that classes would be canceled tomorrow. While that was nice of him no one felt safe because we were all on high alert. A serial killer somehow getting into the castle tends to make people nervous. Also not to mention that Sirius Black took the Marauder's Map, and it doesn't matter now if Hogwarts was on lockdown. So if anything it was probably a better option for us to go to class so we wouldn't keep thinking about what happened last night. That's just my opinion anyway. Hermione actually agreed with me and was a little shaken up from last night too. We both decided not to mention our thoughts to the other professors because surely everyone would hate us if we get all the students to go back to classes on a day off.

Over the past few weeks, Kaitlynn and I have become better acquainted with one another. Like before, I found her sneaking behind me a lot and then cornered her one day about it. Instead of telling her off like I promised to do last time, I decided to hear her out.

* * *

 _"Okay, Kaitlynn. Why are you following me around? I told you if you did this again I would report you to Professor Sprout." I asked._

 _"Harry, please don't do that. I know I'm not supposed to follow you around but I wanted to thank you in person. I just couldn't do it because I was afraid, so I followed you instead." Kaitlynn admitted._

 _"Thank me? Why would you want to do that?"_

 _"Last year my parents were convinced that going to Hogwarts was a bad idea. The Daily Prophet was reporting that students in Hogwarts were being petrified and no one was stopping it. They even had the nerve to blame you for it all!"_

 _"Yeah, I remember. I can't stand reporters."_

 _"Yeah, I guess you would, Harry. Anyway, I was sure that I would not be attending school up until a few months ago when you killed the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Everyone found out about it, Harry. I'm not sure who leaked the story, but I'm glad they did. It was a complete surprise to see you defeat that monster in the Chamber, and because they knew you would be here to watch out for all of us, my parents agreed to let me come to school." Kaitlynn admitted while acting a little shy around me._

 _"Well … um … that's great Kaitlynn, but I didn't do anything to get you here. You shouldn't be thanking me for being accepted to Hogwarts." I said while trying to sound confident on the outside, but on the inside, I felt like I was being praised too much._

 _"Yes I do, Harry! You proved to everyone that Hogwarts is safe again. The dangers of the school are now gone." Kaitlynn stated to me._

 _"I suppose, but now there are Dementors everywhere. How is this safer than the Basilisk?"_

 _"Harry, Dementors only attack someone who has something to hide, or those that have painful memories. So we should be fine."_

 _I just started to realize why the Dementor attack affected me so much. There were a ton of painful memories from my past. These were not just from Voldemort, but from my loving relatives as well. I need to stay away from these monsters at all cost._

 _"Thanks for the tip, Kaitlynn."_

* * *

Kaitlynn and I have met often each week after that. It got easier each time to talk to her since she was slowly getting over my fame. I now consider her like another sister; one that isn't constantly trying to get me to study every minute of the day. **Don't tell Hermione that.** I'm glad I know her, but I fear for her safety. She's only eleven years old and people that are associated with me tend to get hurt or die. I don't think her parents would be very understanding if they were to find out that their daughter died because of me.

* * *

 **January 2nd, 1994:**

Ever since Halloween, Sirius Black hasn't tried to get into the castle. That was surprising since he has a tool that basically allows him to get in undetected. I'm guessing Dumbledore decided to add more wards to Hogwarts, and he did add more Dementors than usual. If I ever do work for the Ministry of Magic, the first thing I'm doing is banishing those wretched things. I know how horrible they are since they made me relive the deaths of my parents earlier this year.

I decided to stay with Hermione at the castle for Christmas. Even though Dumbledore could have just made the Dursleys our slaves again, we both decided not to abuse this power and only reserve that for the summers. It would have been really funny though to have personal slaves at Christmas time. I can see it now: a warm fire, Hermione and I having fun in the snow, and Uncle Vernon waiting on me hand and foot while I use Dudders as a footstool. Maybe next year.

Christmas was actually pretty great for me. I got a great present from Hermione: a copy of _Hogwarts, A History_. Ha! Yeah right. She would never give me that. Actually, I got a special kind of remembrall. Normally a remembrall lets you know if you have forgotten something, hence the term, but it doesn't tell you what you've forgotten. The little ball I got was different because, on top of what it already does, the item was enchanted to let me know what exactly I had forgotten. For example, if I forgot to do my homework, the remembrall would tell me in my head that I forgot to do the assignment for potions class. I have no idea how Hermione got this ball to tell me all these things, but I was extremely grateful that I got this gift. Oh, she also got me some chocolate frogs. Almost forgot about that.

My gifts for Hermione were not as impressive as hers to me. I'm ashamed to say that all I could get her was chocolate frogs, a new quill, color changing ink, and a rare book about magical plants from other countries. Neville helped me with that last one. She seemed happy and did thank me profusely, but it wasn't nearly enough for her in my opinion. She deserves much more.

After opening presents, we had a few hours of fun in the snow. Then before it got too dark, Hermione led me over to an area that could see the top of the shrieking shack. I wonder what that house looks like up close. Maybe Hermione and I can check it out before this year is over.

The rest of the day was pretty dull. We both went down for dinner and sat with a few of our other classmates that stayed behind. During dinner, Professor Trewlany shrieked about there being thirteen people at the table and someone would die. Yeah right. She really is an old fraud. Hermione heard her as well and rolled her eyes in annoyance towards the crazy teacher. I'm glad I dropped her class.

There wasn't a lot of people who stayed behind during the holidays. I wasn't surprised considering that most people aren't like Hermione or I. They actually have families or loved ones who actually care about their well being. I know it's terrible to say, but its times like this when I wish I wasn't alive to feel all this pain. **No, I'm not going to kill myself. I could never do that to Hermione, or Ron, or Neville and ... yeah.**

My parents died trying to save me, and I got stuck with my abusive relatives. Hermione's parents deserted her just for being different and she had no way of supporting herself until Dumbledore came in and offered some assistance. Why us? Why did we have to endure these kinds of lives? I don't understand, and I'm sure I never will. Even though my parents gave their lives for me, I can't help but feel that I'm being scrutinized for living instead of them. Most of the professors in the school have said at least once, how I look like my Dad and have mentioned my Mum also. But every time I learn something, the person I hear it from gets sad and eventually becomes distant during our conversations. It was really starting to get on my nerves.

I guess the most surprising person I learned information about Mum was from Snape. Who would have guessed that they were childhood friends? Apparently, they had a falling out because Snape said some hurtful things to her before she started dating Dad, and it damaged their friendship.

I can't imagine how things would have turned out if Snape didn't insult Mum. Could he have been my father instead? I don't think I would be comfortable with that. Snape is great and all, but there are times where he stares at me with some hatred in his eyes as if I did something to upset him. Thankfully he's never yelled at me or has got on my case unless I blew up a potion or something. Someday I'll ask him why he gives me that look, but not any time soon. He's a pretty great guy though. It could be that I'm just biased since he's my heard of the house.

Right after the winter holidays started, I was asked by Remus Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, to see him in his office. I was scared at first since I hadn't ever been asked to come to a teacher's office during a break. Not even during the short Easter break. I thought that I did something wrong at first. I liked his class and he had interesting homework too, but I never acted out. Maybe he wanted to commend me instead? Nope. I was wrong. Putting one foot in front of the other, I shortly joined Professor Lupin in his office.

* * *

 ** _December 20th, 1993:_**

 _"Ah, Harry! Thank you for coming. Please take a seat." said Remus Lupin._

 _"No problem, professor. What did you need to see me for?"_

 _"Well, Harry, I wanted to apologize. I could have come and talked to you sooner, but I could never find the right time."_

 _"I talk to you all the time in class, professor. I don't understand what you mean."_

 _"No no, Harry. This has nothing to do with academics. We are on winter break, and I'll not have anyone in this room discuss school work. Also, Harry, we aren't in class, so please feel free to call me Remus."_

 _"Okay, Remus. What did you need to see me for exactly?"_

 _"I am not sure if you are aware, Harry, but I was a close personal friend of your parents. I heard from Hermione that you don't know much about them. Is this true?"_

 _My first reaction was to scowl. I didn't want Hermione to start blabbing about my personal history to professors around the school without telling me._

 _"Actually that's not entirely true, prof … I mean Remus. Almost every teacher here has said something to me already about Mum and Dad." I said with some bitterness in my voice._

 _"Hermione didn't tell me simply to betray your trust, Harry. It turns out she found a plaque that mentions your dad, myself, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew and wanted to know about it. After seeing it, she happened to mention that you don't know much about your own parents. Now tell me, Harry, is there anything you want to know about James or Lily from me?"_

 _"I could spend hours asking questions about my parents, and I would never be satisfied. I would always want to know every single detail, every flaw, every moment you could ever remember about them, but it would never be enough. They're dead and never coming back. Then after they died I was dropped off at a house that neither loved or cared about me at all. I feel if did learn more about Mum and Dad, I wouldn't be happy. I would only ever feel more pain from their deaths. Not to be rude Remus, but I have no wish to learn anything more about Mum or Dad."_

 _Remus Lupin looked like he had been slapped several times in the face after I told him that, but I don't care. As I said, I'm getting sick of people talk about my parents. It only hurts me because they're dead because of me._

 _"Oh. Well. I must say I thought this would be going a lot different than what actually happened. Is there nothing you want to know about them, Harry? Even if you say no now, you could always change your mind and ask later?"_

 _"I thank you for the offer professor, but for right now no. I have no wish to be in more pain around the holidays, but maybe I'll ask about them later."_

 _"Very well, Harry. Even though you did make it clear about your intentions, my door will always be open in case you want to talk. Also please remember to call me Remus." Professor Lupin expressed._

 _"Sorry, Remus. This will take some time to get used to. There is something I did want to know though."_

 _"What's that, Harry?"_

 _"What can you tell me about Sirius Black?"_

 _"Sirius was a great friend, Harry. In school, he liked to prank others a lot, and somehow always had it easy with the ladies. He was your dad's closest friend, and it was hard to ever see one without the other. It disturbed me greatly when it was revealed he killed Lily and James. Not only that, but he killed another friend of ours, Peter Pettigrew, and thirteen muggles that very night. I honestly couldn't believe it myself."_

 _"Why did he join Voldemort?"_

 _"Back then, Harry, the world was a much darker place. Voldemort was in power, and he had a ton of followers who killed witches, wizards, and even muggles without a single thought. There was a group of us that stood against Voldemort, with Dumbledore as the leader, that gave the Dark Lord a run for his money. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough because more people were joining the Dark Lord every day, and we were often outnumbered. I think Sirius joined Voldemort because he felt we would lose, and eventually be killed. Joining the Death Eaters would be the only way he could save himself. Thankfully he was captured by the Aurors and sent to Azkaban for thirteen years."_

 _"But none of that matters, Remus. Sirius Black escaped from prison a few months ago, AND he has the Marauder's Map! If he can get into Hogwarts undetected, how can anyone stop him?"_

 _"While he is a slippery one, Sirius Black can't get past everything. I was a little angry with Dumbledore when he didn't make the castle more secure at the beginning of the year, but he has since corrected the problem. I'm surprised he even got into Gryffindor Tower before someone noticed him. As for the map, it's not going to do him any good unless he can get inside the castle at all. For now, don't worry about it."_

 _"But why did he go into the Gryffindor Common Room at all? I thought it was common knowledge that I was sorted into Slytherin? The Daily Prophet definitely made sure that everyone knew afterwards."_

 _"I'm not sure, Harry. Sirius was a jokester, a hit with the ladies, and a very intelligent young man. Details like this would not have escaped him when I was his friend. When we were at school the four of us were proud to be in Gryffindor, and so was your mother. I am guessing all the time in Azkaban twisted his mind into thinking you would be sorted into Gryffindor like your parents. It's the only thing that makes any sense to me"_

 _"Okay, but why did he try to get ahold of Ron Weasley's pet rat?"_

 _"I believe he was trying to go after another rat that could have looked like Peter." Remus saw that I was confused by what he said, so he explained that Peter was an animagus and his form was a rat._

 _The conversation seemed to die at that moment, so I took my leave from Remus' quarters. Before I left he wished me a Merry Christmas, and I returned the same gesture, even though I was not feeling particularly festive at the time._

* * *

I never sent anything to "her" for Christmas. I'm sure her parents would have found out and burned whatever I gave her on the spot. It was either that or they wouldn't let Hedwig return and keep her hostage. (Sigh) No, I don't think they would actually do that. I am willing to let her parents explain themselves before I get angry by their actions. I only wish I knew the reason why we are forcibly separated.

* * *

 **January 4th, 1994:**

Classes have started up again today. Yesterday was the last day of winter break and most of the students had returned to the castle by lunch. There were a few stragglers who came in at the last moment, but no one seemed to mind. The prefects even seemed to be fine with the arrival of the final students. Classes don't seem to be any harder than normal which is great because it gives us a little time to take it easy from the break.

Hermione and me had double Potions Class this morning which was actually pretty good. Snape only gave us a simple review of the potions we made from the last term. We didn't even brew anything today. Charms class was the same; just a bunch of reviewing and studying from the previous term. We did some wand work and a few bits of demonstration of how to perform each spell. After lunch, I had begun to walk to my Ancient Runes class when Professor McGonagall found me and asked that I head to Dumbledore's office immediately. I wonder what was so important?

I climbed the endless amount of stairs leading up to the Headmaster's office. I was out of breath when I reached the top. There has got to be an easier way to get up there, but there was nothing I could do about it now. Maybe I'll mention this to Dumbledore when I see him. As I finally reached the top floor of the school, I found myself in front of the statue that blocked the entrance. It was then I realized McGonagall didn't give me a password to use. I was about to start guessing passwords but sighed in relief when the statue just opened on its own. Thank Godric.

I climbed the next set of stairs to the Headmasters office and reached his door about a minute later. I knocked on the door a few times, and was given permission to enter. When I opened the door, I realized that Dumbledore was not alone. There were a few people in the room that were older and both had … oh no.

"Welcome, Harry. Please have a seat and join us." Dumbledore exclaimed.

"Hello, sir." I said as I moved closer towards the older man and woman. I really didn't want to sit next to them. Their expressions were angry and they never took their eyes off of me. My anxiety was shooting to new heights because I knew who these people were even though we had never met, and I could only guess why they were here. I sat down in my chair and was unable to meet the eyes of the people next to me. I could feel their glares on me.

"Harry, I would like you to meet …" Dumbledore started to say but was interrupted by the older woman.

"This is YOUR fault you little brat! It's your fault this happened! I want you expelled from school immediately!" the older woman screeched at me.

"Molly calm down! We need his help and you know it!" the older man said to his wife.

"I don't care anymore! We Weasleys have never needed help from a dirty lying snake, and we aren't about to start now! There must be another way, Arthur!" Molly Weasley said.

I knew it. These two people were her parents. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that wouldn't go away. I have no idea what they could possibly want now.

"Mrs. Weasley please restrain yourself! You know there is no other way! We have exhausted every option and this is your last hope! I suggest you ask him for help!" Dumbledore said to Molly Weasley.

"But he's from Slytherin, Albus! All witches and wizards from Slytherin are pure evil. Just look at You-Know-Who and all who followed him!"

"Calm down, Mollywobbles! Harry is our last hope! Calm down so we can ask for his help!" Arthur Weasley said to his wife. Mrs. Weasley wisely decided not to speak.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." Dumbledore said as he turned to me. "Well, Harry I bet you're confused as to why Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are here, correct?"

"Yes, sir. I'm have no idea why I'm here."

"We have a problem, Harry, and we need your help. Over the break, it seems that Miss Weasley has gone missing. She …"

 _"Wait. What? Ginny is missing! What is going on here?"_ I thought.

"SHE'S GONE BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU DID THIS TO HER!" Molly Weasley yelled towards me.

"BE QUIET MRS. WEASLEY OR YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM THIS OFFICE!" Albus Dumbledore exclaimed with a ton of angered power in his voice that made the room shake a little bit. Mrs. Weasley stopped talking after that.

"As I was saying, Harry, Miss Weasley has been missing for several days. The Weasleys have used many options to try and find her, but have all been unsuccessful. We are down to our last hope, my boy. We feel that you are the key to finding Miss Weasley's whereabouts." Dumbledore said towards me.

"Please, Harry, you have to help us. We aren't particularly happy about this, but if it means getting our daughter back, then we have no other choice in the matter." Arthur Weasley stated to me.

"Ginny is missing? What happened to her? How long has she been gone? Was she taken?" I asked quickly.

"We don't know, Harry. Ginny has been missing for a week and we have no idea where she went. The aurors have found nothing, and that is not acceptable for us!" Mr. Weasley told me.

"We need to find her immediately! What can I do to help you?" I exclaimed.

"Since you and Miss Weasley are good friends, Harry, we need you to tell us everything you can about her. We think it's the key to find Miss Weasley and bring her back safely." Dumbledore stated. "Now we are going to ask you some questions, and we need you to be honest."

I nodded in response.

"Okay, Harry. Please tell us everything you know about Ginevra Weasley." Dumbledore asked.


End file.
